Ajith Kumar in a still from ‘Good Bad Ugly’
| Photo Credit: Mythri Movie Makers
Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar’s much-hyped action entertainer Good Bad Ugly, directed by Adhik Ravichandran, opened to grand fanfare in theatres today. Starring Trisha as the female lead, in a consecutive pairing after Vidaamuyarchi, Good Bad Ugly also features an ensemble cast that includes Arjun Das, Prabhu, Sunil, Prasanna, Raghu Ram, Redin Kingsley, Priya Prakash Varrier, Jackie Shroff, Yogi Babu and Shine Tom Chacko.
As revealed in the trailer, the film is filled with pop culture references and callbacks to the star’s previous films. As expected, the cameo by Ajith’s Vaalee and Aval Varuvala co-star Simran is also being received well by fans; the evergreen pair last teamed up for Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven in 2000.
However, in what comes as a huge surprise to the fans, the film also features cameos by several iconic movie characters from world cinema, and if that’s not all, has callbacks to Ajith’s rival Vijay’s films.
Again, fair warning, this story contains spoilers.
In Good Bad Ugly, right from the beginning, Ajith’s character AK is plugged as a dangerous gangster, a ‘Red Dragon’ who threw away his empire and surrendered to the authorities for the sake of his newborn son. Throughout the film, many rival gangsters and AK’s pals remind us that he is anything but an ordinary gangster and would surpass any expectations you set for him. As anticipation about details of AK’s past amps up, we finally get the much-awaited flashback, a sequence fascinatingly created with both live-action shots and animation.
We are told that AK, hailing from Madurai, joined Mumbai gangster Maskaan’s gang, only to double-cross him and save the brother of a notorious Korean don from the clutches of Maskaan and Co. As a token of gratitude, the Korean don invites AK to Korea, and they become partners in crime. Now, guess who the Korean don is?
It’s none other than Dong Lee, a.k.a Don Lee, in an animated appearance as gangster Jang Dong-soo from 2019’s The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil. But that’s not all!
After his stint in Korea, where AK attained the status of Red Dragon, he travelled to New York, where he helped an assassin take out 100 men in a death battle shootout. We promise a blood oath marker to the reader who guesses this right.
Well, that’s give away already! Yes, in a well-designed animated form, Keanu Reeves’ John Wick appears and stands back-to-back with a stylish Ajith Kumar as they gun down hordes of men.
A still from ‘Good Bad Ugly’
| Photo Credit:
Mythri Movie Makers
That should have been enough, but come on, this is an Adhik Ravichandran film, where the sky is the limit. Theatre halls playing Good Bad Ugly are sure to erupt when The Professor, from Netlix’s hit Spanish series Money Heist, makes a stellar entry in an animated form.
Adhik Ravichandran is known for his quirky filmmaking, but the inclusion of such cameos makes you wonder if prior NOCs or permissions were obtained from the international studios behind those characters or if we’re in store for some post-release drama especially after the film’s streaming release on Netflix.
Now, if you are someone who cares less about such world cinema tributes, worry not, for there is more for you. The film has many callbacks to popular yesteryear songs, but fans of Ajith Kumar would particularly take note of the references in place to the star’s rival, Vijay. Particularly, a callback to a certain pitstop for Kara Pori from a Vijay film will leave you in splits. The very intermission sequence ends with phenomenal fan service, with Ajith uttering an iconic Vijay punchline.
Released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, Good Bad Ugly undoubtedly seems to be riding high on fan service. The film is produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y Ravi Shankar under their Mythri Movie Makers banner.
Published – April 10, 2025 02:54 pm IST