From Dheena to Billa and Mankatha, Ajith Kumar-Adhik Ravichandran’s Good Bad Ugly makes multiple stops in the trip down memory lane

Backed by Mythri Movie Makers, Good Bad Ugly, directed by Adhik Ravichandran, promises to be a fun and no-holds-barred ride that deals with the story of a ruthless but retired gangster. When his son is kidnapped, the gangster returns to a world of violence, bloodshed, and bullets, and meets a younger generation of gangsters. Invariably, this means the younger gang have to be reminded of who the OG is, and this becomes the perfect recipe for the nostalgia train to leave the station.

Reference Stop 1: Mankatha

Ajith Kumar plays AK, a gangster, and the film features his frequent collaborators like Trisha, who has previously worked with him in films like Mankatha, Vidaamuyarchi, Kireedam, and Ji. And for the first reference, we have Trisha talking about Mankatha, and how Ajith’s character threw her father out of a moving car right in front of her eyes. Although it is clear that the reference is made in a wholly different context, one can’t help but smile at the audacity.

Also, the primary antagonist of Good Bad Ugly, Arjun Das, uses the iconic dialogue, “It’s my f**king game” uttered by Ajith in Mankatha.

Ajith plays Vinayak Mahadev in Mankatha

Reference Stop 2: Vaali

Simran is seen in a cameo. It means Ajith and Simran might be sharing screen space. It also means they are reuniting for the first time in 25 years. It means we could see the pair of Vaali and Aval Varuvaala once again. And yeah, she is wearing a yellow jacket that tells people that if someone wants to remake Kill Bill in India, they don’t have to look too far. Oh, and there’s the iconic chewing gum scene from the 1999 film.

Reference Stop 3: Villain, Varalaaru

Once again, it is Arjun Das who does the honours of hyping up the hero, which seems to be the primary job of any antagonist of a superstar vehicle. Nevertheless, it does seem to work here simply because the film is exploring the history of a gangster who has retired from active gang things. So, when Arjun’s character says, “Oh you are a big villain? I can see your varalaaru (history),” it is cheeky but convincing.

Reference Stop 4: Dheena

In the flashback sequences, we also see references to multiple films of Ajith Kumar that established him as the “Thala” of Tamil cinema. In fact, there are multiple throwbacks to the ‘weapons’ used and the look of the older characters, and it is fun to see the OG Don… Dheena. And of course, the iconic dialogue being uttered by Ajith himself.

Reference Stop 5: Billa

With the veteran actor Prabhu being part of the cast of Good Bad Ugly, it is to be noted that he has previously worked with Ajith in the blockbuster Billa, and Saran’s Aasal. There are enough car chases that will build on the Billa hype, and when there is a conversation about a gangster in any film, let alone an Ajith film, one can’t shake away the feeling of the Vishnuvardhan blockbuster.

Ajith Kumar reprised the role played by Rajinikanth in Billa. Courtesy: IMDB

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Reference Stop 6: Parallel tracks

As it is fashion now, the trailer uses a remixed version of a 90s song to hype the film. This time around, Ilaiyaraaja’s Oththa Roova number from Nattupura Paattu is used in the film, and just when you think they can’t get better, Malaysia Tamil Rapper Darkey enters the fray with his iconic Puli Puli song.