Movie Review : Sorgavaasal
The movie begins with a government officer Ismail ( Natty Nataraj) investigating prison riots in Chennai in the late nineties, where several cops and inmates where killed and injured.
The story unfolds as he interviews each of the people , both cops and the prisoners, who were present on that day.
As he tries to find out who was responsible, a tale emerges, recounted by Kattabomman (Karunas) a cop who was on duty that day.
His narration takes the viewer into the life of Parthiban ( RJ Balaji) who was supposedly an innocent man implicated in a murder of an IAS officer. His ordeals in the jail, and his meeting with dreaded seasoned, well connected criminal Sigamani (Selvaraghavan) m, his interactions with the prison SP Sunil Kumar (Sharaf U Dheen) who uses him to get to Siga, the layers emerge one by one.
Was Parthiban responsible for the riots? What was his fate on that night? Did Siga survive the plot against him? Does the officer arrive at the truth finally?
Debutant Sidharth Vishwanath delivers a raw, hard-hitting film, taking the audience deep into the world of prison life with all the gory details of fights, intrigue, the prison hierarchies and the officers who enforce the law. How lines blur, the nexus between politics and crime and how the innocent are caught in the cross hairs of both, is well brought oit.
RJ Balaji nails his role, and has given a career best so far. He brings to life the confusion and terror of a man caught up in a bestial world, through no fault of his own. His raw breakdown scenes, the action blocks and his slow journey to understanding the system but never losing himself entirely are superbly brought out.
Saniya Iyappan gives a superb performance and lives the role of his wife. Selvaraghavan delivers a convincing performance while Sharaf U Dheen, Hakkim Shah, Balaji Sakthivel, Karunas, Natty and Ravi Raghavendra are all superb.
Dinesh Subbrayan's stunts are a highlight though the scenes blood, gore and various weapons of torture and death are tough to watch. The very raw and violent prison riot scenes are not easy to watch.
The film may seem long but the suspense snd intrigue are maintained right till the end. The camera and art departments deserve kudos.
There are several scenes that seem a tad lengthy and could have been trimmed. The non linear screenplay can get confusing at places.
Overall, Sorgavaasal delivers a raw, action thriller with stupendous performances and a suspenseful story that the viewer into a world not explored too often on screen.
Rating 3.5/ 5
CAST
RJ BALAJI (AS) PARTHIBAN
SELVARAGHAVAN (AS) SIGAMANI
KARUNAAS (AS) KATTABOMMAN
NATTY (AS) ISMAIL
SANIYA IYAPPAN (AS) REVATHY
SHARAF U DHEEN (AS) SP SUNIL KUMAR
BALAJI SAKTHIVEL (AS) COOKER BASHEER
HAKKIM SHAH (AS) TIGERMANI
RAVI RAGHAVENDRA (AS) MOHAN
ANTHONYTHASAN JESUTHASAN (AS) SEELAN
MAURISH (AS) RANGU
SAMUEL ROBINSON (AS) KENDRICK
KAAKAA GOPAL (AS) ANAND
PORKODI (AS) VENIAMMAL
PARAM (AS) SHANMUGAM
SANTHANABARATHI (AS) HOME MINISTER
CREW
Produced by Think Studios and Swipe Right Studios
Written & Directed by Sidharth Vishwanath
Writers : Tamizh Prabha, Ashwin Ravichandran, Sidharth Vishwanath
DOP : Prince Anderson
Editor : Selva RK
Music Director : Christo Xavier
Art Director : S Jeyachandran
Stunt Director : Dinesh Subbarayan
Costume Designer : Shruthi Manjari
Chief Costumer : Anantha Nagu
Make-up : Sabari Girison
Sound Design : Suren G and S Alagiakoothan
Audiography : Vinay Sridhar, Assisted by Vignesh Guru
Trailer Music Mix & Master : Abin Paul
VFX : Lorven Studios
DI : Pixel Light Studio
Colourist : Ranga
Casting Director : Varsha Varadarajan
Publicity Designer : Kabilan Chelliah
Executive Producer : Vikrem Vybav R S
Production Controller : PS Rajendran
Production Consultant : AK Anirudh
Creative Consultant : Krishna Marimuthu
Singers - SEAN ROLDAN (KAALAM THANNALEY) & ANIRUDH RAVICHANDER (THE END)
LYRICS - NIXY (KAALAM THANNALEY) & CLINT LEWIS (THE END - ENGLISH) & ARUN SRINIVASAN (THE END - TAMIL)
PRO: Nikil Murukan
