Film Review: Yaathisai
Yaathisai, a period drama,set in the 7th century AD, directed by Dharani Rasendran, hit theatres,on April 21st.
The story is set in the times when the Chera, Chola and Pandiya kingdoms,were at war, each to gain the upperhand. Into this scenario, to pit his might against the powerful Pandiyan king Ranadheera ( Shakti Mithran), a leader of the tribal Einar clan, Kothi, ( Vijay Seyon), sets out to gain control of the Pandiya kingdom and palace, with his much smaller army.
Why does he pit himself against such a powerful king? What happens between the duo? Does Kothi succeed in attaining his goal? Who is the mystery entrant, a prisoner in a ship on the high seas, who is set to enter this scenario?
Yaathisai has a large number of newcomers, but every actor has given his utmost to the film, with fantastic performances and the effort shows on screen and how! Seyon and Shakti Mithran keep you rivetted to the screen especially in the battle scenes. Every inch of their fights look real, raw and hard hitting.
Be it with the tribesmen, tribal women or soldiers of the Pandiyas, every fight sequence is raw, gritty (and sometimes gruesome), making it all the more edge of the seat. However, it must be said that the gore and gruesomeness is not for the faint hearted.
Every department of the film deserves kudos, right from art work, costumes, make up, hair and jewellery( which all look so very authentic , intricate and seem well researched), right down to the types of weapons used in the period. The musical score rises to the occasion, transporting you back in time, while the camera and editing departments have put in some solid effort as well. The locations too are well chosen.
The director has used ancient Tamil of the period (with modern Tamil and English subtitles), which adds to the overall experience of taking you back into those times, with the characters.
There are no gimmicks used to enhance the effect and the simplicity of sincere, hard hitting performances with neat writing and a touch of authenticity at every step, coupled with twists that keep you guessing, all add up to make Yaathisai a most engaging, gripping, period drama.
Cast:
Shakti Mithran as Ranadheera pandian
Seyon as kodhi ( Eyinan Tribe leader)
Rajalakshmi as Devaradiyar
Guru Somasundaram as Eyinan poosaari
Subatra as perumpalli leader
Samar as Eyinan Tribe warrior
Vaidhegi amarnath as Devaradiyar
Crew:
Director - Dharani Rasendran
Cinematographer - Akilesh kathamuthu
Art director - Ranjith Kumar
Editor - Mahendran Ganesan
Music - Chakravarthy
Costume designer - v.suresh Kumar
VFX Director - Ravikumar ananthraj
Stunt choreographer - Om Siva prakash
Sound design - Saravanan, Dharma prakash
***
நடிகர்கள்:
ஷக்தி மித்ரன் - ரணதீர பாண்டியன்
சேயோன் - கொதி ( எயின தலைவன்)
ராஜலட்சுமி - தேவரடியார்
குரு சோமசுந்தரம் - எயின பூசாரி
சுபத்ரா - பெரும்பள்ளி தலைவி
சமர் - துடி ( எயின போர் வீரன் )
வைதேகி அமர்நாத் - தேவரடியார்
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இயக்குனர் - தரணி ராசேந்திரன்
ஒளிப்பதிவு - அகிலேஷ் காத்தமுத்து
கலை - இரஞ்சித் குமார்
படத்தொகுப்பு - மகேந்திரன் கணேசன்
இசை - சக்கரவர்த்தி
உடை வடிவமைப்பு - வெ. சுரேஷ் குமார்
காட்சி படிமம் வடிவமைப்பு - இரவிக்குமார் ஆனந்த் ராஜ்
சண்டை - ஓம் சிவ பிரகாஷ்
ஒலி வடிவமைப்பு - சரவணன், தர்ம பிரகாஷ்
