Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Soori, Raashi Khanna, Nivetha Pethuraj, Nasser, Ravi Kishan, Sriranjini, Kalloori Vinoth, Sriman, Mime Gopi, Ashutosh Rana
Director: Vijay Chandar
The “agriculture vs mnc” argument is not new to Kollywood and here’s yet another film that follows this formula. We’ve seen enough of these films but there’s honestly nothing to hate about this one. Vijay Sethupathi’s performance and a few quality scenes make the commercial entertainer a bearable watch.
Murugan (Vijay Sethupathi) and Soori (Soori), two aspiring actors, make a deal with a businessman, Shankar (Ravi Kishan) to help him set up a copper factory in Maruthamangalam, a town where Murugan’s doppelganger Tamizh lived. Little does Shankar know that the entire plan was sketched out for him by the entire town. The slow plot could’ve been tightened without too much emphasis on Murugan’s family who had no major role in the narrative. The usual predictable scenes failed to bring about the emotion theyt sought. But one about teenage pregnancy was perfectly delivered by Vijay Sethupathi, leaving a grin on my face.
Raashi Khanna looks great, but doesn’t seem to have improved in performance, at all. We get to see the exact same expressions she had in her debut film, Imaikka Nodigal. Her role doesn’t the plot but she appears throughout the film (as Kamalini) alongside Vijay Sethupathi. Nivetha Pethuraj as Thenmozhi occupies very little screen space but impresses with her performance. The impact of her smaller role is more than Raashi Khanna’s,l despite the difference in screen time.
Vijay Sethupathi excels in the tried-and-tested genre with ease. Some of his dialogues, especially in the beginning, were hard to comprehend, a difficulty I’ve always face in his movies. Though his trademark, the fast delivery did hamper my experience many a time. Soori might well have the been heroine of the film. He does little to nothing, cracks some stale jokes and hangs around Vijay Sethupathi as the supposed ‘Hero’ just like most heroines in our recent cinema.
Many supporting artistes who are capable of great performances like Gajaraj, Mime Gopi and John Vijay were criminally under-used. Even though Mime Gopi’s character was meant to be that way, any other artist would’ve fit the role making it a colossal waste of a brilliant performer. The antagonist Ravi Kishan is weak and is not convincing at any point in the film. Ashutosh Rana as Kulandaivel does well as the deuteragonist.
The songs and background score by Vivek-Mervin were outstanding. When there is so much more that can be explored with the visual medium, filmmakers seem to be conveniently clinging to agriculture and misconstrued women empowerment themes. More than anything, it has become a monotonous and lazy means to reach every level of the audience. I only hope this trend dies down soon and filmmakers realise their responsibility is that of telling good stories without boring the audience.
Also, read
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The Sangathamizhan review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.
