Movie Review : Rasavathi
In 2010 a senior cop in Cuddalore district is murdered by his junior Parasu Raj ( Sujith Shankar ) but nobody finds out since he makes it look like suicide.
Cut to the present, in 2019. Sadasiva Pandian ( Arjun Das) is a siddha doctor who runs the Bogar Siddhar Clinic at Kodaikanal. He is a loner, who is happy being single. He prefers to remain single till he finds someone of his wavelength. One day he meets Surya ( Tanya) a hotel manager new to the city. The duo slowly fall in love.
In this scenario, comes in the new Inspector of the town, Parasu Raj ( Sujith Shankar). He is a sadistic man, with psycological problems due to a very troubled childhood.
When he spots Sadasiva in the town one day, that too, in the company of Surya he is furious and is determined to ruin their relationship.
What is the reason for this behaviour? What is the backstory of Sadasiva that involves Parasu ? Does Sadasiva escape the clutches of the sadistic cop?
The film is a slow burn thriller that takes its time to unfold, peeling the layers off each character, as they enter the story. Santhakumar takes his time to unfold the plot and the suspense is gripping as you try to ponder about what happens next between these characters.
But at several moments, Santhakumar surprises you. Just when you expect violence or exploitation, due to the psychotic nature of the cop, like with the VJ Ramya and Sujith portions, the film leaves you surprised.
The suspense is built up and the twist when it emerges, hits strong with emotions, and a surprise climax.
The scenes when Siddha aka Sadasiva talks about siddha medicines, his lines about protecting Nature and animals, the way romance blooms in his life ( with 2 heroines at different points in life) all make for an interesting watch.
On the technical front, the camerawork is simply superb capturing Nature's glory with breathtaking views and natural colors where a unique atmosphere is created with quaint, rustic locations all adding to the story.
Thaman' s bgm is a big pillar of support, like the camerawork, and the songs too make for good listening.
Santhakumar has put together a stellar cast. Arjun Das can be seen in a totally different avatar. Sadasiva, a man with a quiet mind, a gentle heart and powerful weapon of a body, that can defend and protect when needed, make for a unique combination. Arjun bites into this meaty role and delivers a superb performance, as the life enforcing Siddha Doctor. The movie also has well choreographed action sequences, but with a natural touch, with Arjun's character displaying his varma kalai skills when attacked. Its good to see a different, quiet and romantic side of this intense actor.
Tanya with her demeanour, suitable body language and expressions fits into her role both as hotel manager and youthful girlfriend. The chemistry and bonding between the leads is well brought out in a natural manner showcasing the slow bonding, building of trust and deepening of a relationship between two wounded souls, refreshingly different from the usual superficial, cutesy moments we mostly see on screen.
Ramya Subramanian, delivers a good performance in an off beat role getting the nuances of her role perfectly. The satitical references in her dialogues are delivered just on point in a finely honed act.
Sujith Shankar from Mollywood, steals the show with his finely nuanced, impressive act as the sadistic cop with demons plaguing his mind. Hope he gets more roles in Tamil cinema.
Reshma Venkatesh, as Pandian's first love, delivers a refreshing performance, showcasing her mettle as the innocent girl in love and later, the trapped housewife.
On the flip side, the slow burner moments may not work for everyone. There does seem to be a tad too many episodes of Sujith's psychotic behaviour which becomes reptitive after a while. Some scenes even make you wince or turn away.
Fine performances, with enough suspense to keep you invested in the plot, breathtaking visuals,interesting characters, and a different story and setting than the usual, make Rasavathi an interesting watch.
Rating 3/5
CREW:
Writer & Director – Santhakumar
Producer – Santhakumar
Banner – DNA Mechanic Company
Co Producer – Saraswathi Cine Creation
Music – Thaman S
Lyricist – Yugabharathi
Editor – V.J. Sabu Joseph
Audiography – Tapas Nayak
Sound Effects – C.Sethu
Dialogue Recordist – Jaya Sudha
Art Director – Sivaraj Samaran
Stunt Master – Action Prakash
Dance Choreographer - Sathish Krishnan
Makeup - Vinoth sukumaran
Costumer – Perumal Selvam
Costume Designer – Minuchitrangkani.J
Stills - M.Anandan
DI & VFX – Shade 69 Studios
DI Colorist – Naveen Sabapathy
Executive Producer – Prem.S
PRO – Suresh Chandra,
Publicity Designer – Chandru Ranganathan(thandora)
Music Label – Divo Music
