Who is your favourite Tamil director? Obviously, the industry has numerous legends like Balu Mahendra, K Balachander, Mani Ratnam etc. & hence it would be a difficult question to answer. But if I have to answer as to who had me in awe with almost every project that they came out with over the past two decades, then it would be the one & only Vetrimaaran. His latest project with Soori & Vijay Sethupathi in the lead is "Viduthalai Part I" which as the name suggests has a sequel, is no different. The movie lives upto the lofty expectations & the maestro has crafted it in such a manner that it creates even further hype as to what he might have in store for us in future.
Based on B Jeyamohan's short story "Thunaivan", it is about the clash between the police & the separatist group, 'Makkal Padai' led by Perumal Vaathiyar (Sethupathi) in the forest region along the TN-Karnataka border. The story is narrated from the point of view of Constable Kumaresan who had recently joined the police force & inducted into the mission called 'Operation Ghost hunt' with the aim to capture Vaathiyar. Kumaresan was a man of principles but he soon realizes that everything wasn't black & white as he had expected. He clutches onto his ideals & endures the hardships that the superiors impose on him as he tries to walk the tight rope whereby he would get recognized for his services & also took care of the girl, Tamilarasi (Bhavani Sre) that he loved who belonged to the village that was under constant surveillance of the force. Whether he manages to remain true to himself & his job forms the basis of the movie.
As always Vetrimaaran has captured everything in his typical raw style & it packs a punch. The focus is primarily on the hardships that Kumaresan goes through who is torn between the ill treatment meted out to him by his superiors and the injustice that the villagers face from the police force on the pretext of protecting them from the revolutionaries. The usual question is was it as impactful as "Visaranai"? Well there are torture sequences etc. but it doesn't quite shake us as much as the former. The technical aspects were topnotch such as Velraj's cinematography especially the one shot opening train accident sequence which was just brilliant. Illayiraja's music was soothing to the ears but I wasn't quite convinced whether it actually gelled here as well as it usually does.
Soori was an absolute revelation as Kumaresan as I never thought he could pull off such a character. Frankly speaking, I usually found his comedy as cringe but he proved that there was more to him than just humour. Kudos to Vetrimaaran for his excellent choice as Soori has done utmost justice to the role. Sethupathi in a cameo was fantastic & had the aura that the character demanded. Gautham Menon & Bhavani were impressive along with a couple of other police characters such as Soori's superior who hated him (not sure of his name).
Verdict: Essentially, the theme as always is about the system & the oppressed and Vetrimaaran has rocked yet again. He certainly raised the tempo towards the climax setting up for what promises to be a more politically charged sequel. In short, don't miss it!!!
Rating: 3.75/5
Regards...Ben
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