A couple of hours back, Mary Kom made her first strides towards the podium with a convincing win in the first round of her event. Similarly, Pa Ranjith made credible steps towards the critical & commercial success of his latest venture "Sarapatta Parambarai". Based in North Chennai of 1970s around the time that Emergency was enforced across the nation, this celluloid creation talks about the influence of the boxing culture and the prestige that it bestowed among the various clans. The canvas on which Ranjith had crafted this sports drama gave ample proof that he had set himself up for success. So what was the recipe that he had employed here after all brawn alone wont be able to sustain the movie.
Rangan (Pashupathy) was the much revered coach of the Sarapattai clan whose boxers ruled the roost for many years until Duraikannu (G M Sundar), coach of the Idiyappa clan introduced his prized student, Vembuli (John Kokken) into the mix. The latter's skill & strength struck fear among his opponents & Rangan's head bowed with embarrassment each year as none of his students could pin him down. As the last roll of the dice, Rangan agrees to the challenge that his clan would refrain from boxing if his next student failed to prevail over Vembuli. As expected, tempers brewed in Sarapatta's camp over his decision but the question was whether it was even possible to put an end to Idiyappa's reign???
Ever since Ranjith burst into the scene, he has made movies that spoke not just about the plot but also about the cultural, societal or political background in which the story is set. This is primarily one of the main reason why he has numerous fans & I certainly belong to that tribe. In "Sarapatta Parambarai", the impact of the political climate on the story is impressively etched in be it the Emergency, DMK's defiance against the political decision & MGR splitting the party. In addition, even the caste system (staple topic in Ranjith's movies) gets a subtle mention in the form of symbolism. Kudos to Ranjith & Tamizh Prabha for penning a wholesome sports drama that gives us a satisfying viewing experience.
Another aspect that deserves an applause is the attention given to flesh out meaningful characters rather than just the protagonist be it Daddy, Dancing Rose, Mariyamma, Bakkiyam, Vetri, Raman etc. This is undoubtedly one of the main reason why despite a run time close to 3 h, it still doesn't take a toll on our patience. However, the movie still does have a couple of hiccups according to me & that is in the emotional outburst of the female characters as well as Kabilan in the latter half which didn't quite have the desired effect after a point of time. On the technical side, pretty much everything was top notch be it Santhosh Narayanan's fantastic BGM (one of the finest that I have heard for a sports drama) , art direction & action choreography.
Though the protagonist is Arya, there were two other artists who I felt were absolutely magnificent & they are John Vijay (as David) and Shabeer Kallarakkal (as Dancing Rose). Both of them just lit up the screen whenever they were given the opportunity, John whenever he mouthed any dialogue & Shabeer in the boxing sequence (the inspiration for those antics might be the former British boxer Naseem Hamed). There is no doubt that Arya has done a fantastic job (damn, his ripped torso was a sight to behold) but for some reason I felt the casting for that role could have been better as the portions that showcased his emotional side didnt quite pan out as well as it should have (maybe Suriya could have been a better choice). As for the rest, each & every one of them have done a praise worthy job be it Pashupathy (as Rangan), Santhosh Prathap (as Raman), Dushara Vijayan (as Kabilan's wife), Anupama Kumar (as Kabilan's mother), John Kokken (as Vembuli) etc.
Verdict: Undoubtedly one of the finest sports drama that I have come across in Indian cinema. It certainly has a significant run time but you can rest assured that you will be entertained. In short, dont miss it!!!
Rating: 4/5
Regards...Ben
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