VIDUTHALAI PART 1 (TAMIL) (2023)

I revisited the movie before watching the sequel that has arrived on the silver screen this past week.

After a commercially successful outing with Asuran which also received a fair share of critical acclaim, ace director Vetrimaaran returns with the story of an underdog cop. Kumaresan (Soori), a rookie cop with a strong moral compass is thrust into the thick of things in a battle front drawn between a stubborn State and a relentless revolutionary force. The revolutionaries are keen to obstruct the proposed mining project in a densely forested area as they see it is exploitative to the people as well as nature while the State views the same as a tool for development of the area. 

While the template story of development and its aftermath unfolds at the surface level, the primary narrative strand focuses on the story of Kumaresan - how he finds his feet in the rough grind between an indifferent system and a seemingly ruthless revolutionary band. 

It does not take long for him to note that if a system could be so cruel and inhumane to its own foot soldiers, there is hardly any hope for the meek, voiceless and underprivileged lot who routinely get crushed under the giant developmental wheels of the System. Nevertheless, he marches on dutifully as a foot soldier even as he finds solace in the affections of a forest dweller who might be connected to the foes.

Soori who has been playing comical roles so far, submits himself completely to his first lead role. He is earnest in every frame as he grapples with each situation with his innate vulnerability. It would not be an understatement to say that this is a reincarnation for him as he lives through every facet of this challenging role. Vijay Sethupathy plays  -  Perumaal Vaathiyaar - a minor cameo as the mentor of the revolutionary force and is likely to gain more prominence in the sequel. Bhavani Sre, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Rajeev Menon and Chethan are apt in their supporting roles. 

DoP Velraj excels in framing the verdant, albeit, very challenging terrain as is evident from the early unbroken long shot of a train accident as well as several others including one of Soori scaling a mountain with a senior colleague. Maestro's songs as well as BGM accentuate and add poignancy to the proceedings.

The narrative paints in broad strokes of black & white, good & bad and bypasses exploring any granularity or grey zones. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that director Vetrimaaran is able to engage and engross the attention of viewers during the entire duration of the movie. What's more...? He whets our appetite for the sequel which could be explosive in its intensity, especially given the incendiary glimpses that punctuate the end of this movie. 

A SATISFYING WATCH (that could have easily been so much more) !!

RATING - 4/5

PS - Streaming on ZEE5