Film Review: Viduthalai Part 1

 Director Vetrimaaran's Soori, Vijay Sethupathi starrer Viduthalai Part 1 hit screens on March 31st.


Kumaresan ( Soori) narrates the story in a voice over, narrating events to his mother, about his experiences on his first job as a cop. He is posted as a vehicle driver in a thick forest area atop a mountain. There is trouble from the locals who are revolting against corporates coming to mine in the area, and special police forces (headed by Chetan, Gautham Vasudev Menon), have been posted there to catch the elusive leader Perumal (Vijay Sethupathi).

Soori, an honest and sincere rookie cop, runs into trouble with his superior when he helps the locals.  As his woes keep adding up, there is also a silver lining when love brews between him and Tamilarasi ( Bhavani Sre),a local girl. But soon things go awry when the villagers, including his love, are rounded up and tortured, due to suspected links with Perumal. Can a desperate Kumaresan save the day ?

For Soori, the film is  easily a career best performance. He displays to perfection and with a subtlety the innocence, humanitarian attitude and courage of conviction against all odds, of his character. Physically too the actor has transformed himself and looks, every inch the part. Be it the occasional situational humor, or  in the subtly played out romance scenes and 2 beautifully captured, tender songs too, he aces the chemistry with Bhavani Sre, who does a, neat job as the helpless but brave village girl. Vijay Sethupathi in a cameo shines as usual. Chetan as the perverted, egotistical cop has a meaty role and does a neat job of it, while Gautham Vasudev Menon aces his role as the senior cop, with effortless ease. The rest of the cast too is well chosen. 



Velraj's camerawork is a huge plus as it beautifully  captures the  breathtakingly scenic views and the hardships of living in the rocky, remote mountain areas, interspersed by thick forests. The drone shots, are to watch out for,  as is the single long shot of a train accident.
Maestro Ilayaraja's bgm and songs lend a magical touch.

The film is layered, and delves into serious socio-political issues in a period setting, and will leave you perturbed in several places,  and touch a chord in others.

Watch out for the peek into what's coming up in Part 2, that is played at the end. 

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review : Mathimaran

Movie Review: Maal

Music Director Vidyasagar’s son Harsha Vardhan U makes musical debut in Sibi film!