It’s a pity that we couldn’t catch up Aaranya Kaandam back during its release in theaters, the censor board, the high-handed moral police in this country (even more than some politicians),  bludgeoned the movie and sealed its fate in the box office despite the high-critical acclaim it garnered during international screenings. Thanks to the internet which opened a sea of opportunity for the viewers to watch the uncut version or else it would have been unnoticed to this day. Never before in Tamil Cinema was a gangster movie made as sensibly as AK. It was path-breaking in every way, and it served as a template for gangster films ever since. Thiagarajan Kumararaja proved that he’s a maverick in the making with his first film. I’ve lost count of the number of times I watched the movie. I still get goosebumps while watching this epic even after multiple re-watches, and it is something that lie forever in my collection list.

What’s unique about the film is that there’s something to notice new in every subsequent watch. Be it the layered writing with a motley crew of characters caught in a vortex of problems or dingy and dusty locales so beautifully captured or the music which served as the soul of the movie, everything was novel and was fresh, the one which was never attempted before in Tamil Cinema. AK was uncompromising and intrepid in its approach. I still cannot fathom the reason behind censor board raping the movie in the pretext of excessive profanity and violence; we have seen far more vulgar and depraved content by mainstream filmmakers see the light of the day. If not for the critics and alternate filmmakers who were awestruck by the making of the film, the film would have tanked without a whisker. In what comes across as an irony, the film which was butchered by the censor board garnered widespread recognition including a national award for Thiagarajan Kumararaja and has also become a cult classic.

Great filmmakers don’t have the numbers behind their back to prove their greatness which I already mentioned during my Vada Chennai review. Numbers can never indicate one’s stature as a filmmaker. Thiagarajan Kumararaja is one such director who is the league of filmmakers such as Vetrimaran and Anurag Kashyap. The fact it took him eight years to come up with his next movie after AK shows his love and passion of parallel cinema. Super Deluxe, his new films is nothing short of a miracle or to put it more in a groovy style, its hypnotic! I have already watched the movie two times within three days of its release, and I still couldn’t get enough of it! TK pulls all stops to give you that entertaining cinematic ride with a mythical vibe that you have longed for years with this outlandish piece of work.

I had to re-watch Inception, the next day after I watched it first because I couldn’t get a thing from the movie initially. It took me a re-watch on the next day to get a clear and coherent picture of Christopher Nolan’s brilliant mind. But as far as Super Deluxe goes, it’s the amusement and astonishment of Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s bold film-making style that pulled me back to theater for a second watch and also to make my review more expansive so that I don’t miss out on any piece of information.

Super Deluxe – Strikingly Bold

Super Deluxe is a charming social commentary on the modern world. Right at the opening credits, we hear a woman talk in a husky voice with her ex-boyfriend, from that moment we get transported into the colorful world of Thiagarajan Kumararaja. In TK’s world, there are no merely any black or white figures. Everyone has gray shades. Every character is flawed and morally ambiguous. Its clear Thiagarajan Kumararaja draws inspiration from Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, and Anurag Kashyap when it comes to characterization. He expresses his admiration for them by displaying their works in a CD shop during one of the early sequences. 

Similar to AaranyaKaandam, TK narrates the story of a disparate group of people with their own set of quirks in Super Deluxe. Each character in the film has their own set of beliefs and values.

Episode 1: Vaembu (Samantha) is committing adultery with her ex-boyfriend. Something terrible happens. Her husband Mukhil (FahadFaasil), with whom she has an uneasy relationship has to come to her rescue. And they have a rough ride ahead.

Episode 2: A group of libido high adolescents after a minor struggle watch a porn film, and one among them gets a shock of his life to see his mom feature in the movie. In a fit of rage, he smashes the expensive TV, and the youngsters have to replace the TV before their parents’ arrival. And the affected boy goes running screaming with rage to kill his mother and gets hurt badly.

Episode 3: A boisterous kid (Master Ashvanth) is all excited for his father Manikkam’s arrival as he vanished all of a sudden some years ago and is returning. His house is crowded with relatives, and gossipy neighbors and they are shell-shocked to see the Manickam return as transgender Shilpa (Vijay Sethupathi).

Episode 4: A religious fanatic Arputham (Mysskin) who invents his own religion after miraculously escaping from Tsunami receives a phone call informing him that his son is critically injured.

Usually, anthology films like these have common themes and converge at one point. What’s unique here is that two and four are interwoven, but one and three proceed in their separate ways. At some point of time in the film, the action and words of the characters manifest itself into a chain of events which profoundly impact the others in a life-altering way. Its Chaos theory set in motion and we get an exhilarating ride! 

The way the story shapes up feels like one hell of a psychedelic ride. It’s like an acid trip! Every little sequence leaves a profound impact and makes you think deeply about your existent beliefs. If Aaranya Kaandam dealt about Dharma, Super Deluxe talks about morality. There’s philosophy, sex, fun, profanity, publicity, greed, apathy, avarice, lecherousness, vulnerability, and even cuckoldry strangely. Even things that make us squirm in disgust/disbelief appear normal in the film. The magic TK weaved in the screenplay is sheer novelty.  Not for a fleeting moment, you would shake your head off in disgust or disbelief. Originally, the film was titled as “Aneedhi Kadhaigal” (Amoral tales) – wonder why it was changed to Super Deluxe, though it exudes swag and funkiness.

Deeply Philosophical & Brilliant Social Commentary

Super Deluxe smashes all barriers and conventions and reaffirms being arrogant and amoral is no big deal. For instance, there is an ancient belief, age-old wisdom, that being chaste, is an essential trait for woman and such woman’s words will bear fruit. But in the amoral landscape of Super Deluxe, in a segment in the lift, when the lights go off, Vaembu assures to Mukhil that power would be restored soon, a visibly irritated Mukhil disses Vaembu “Aama Nee Periya Pathini” – Boom! The power comes! And there’s this licentious cop Berlin (Bugs aka BagavathyPerumal) who dismisses a curse from Shilpa stating that even his own wife’s curse couldn’t cause any harm to him. In the end, the imprecation from Shilpa proves to be the turning point. A seemingly helpless Arputham is having a dilemma over his faith after an incident and witnesses a bizarre and outlandish experience after he made up his mind to come out of his self-founded religion. Leela (Ramya Krishnan) who had to act in Porn films for survival questions the mindset of millions of viewers consuming it and why is that only the actors acting in it are deemed amoral. There’s even an alien that is a part of the film in the later stages which gives her take on life. There are so many such intriguing moments in Super Deluxe which almost feels you are on a trip to an alternate universe. Each segment of the film has layers of philosophy wrapped all over it. The film ends on a high note leaving the users to question their very existence. Yes, the concept of existentialism is something interesting. There are ample number metaphors, and visual illustrations sprinkled in liberal doses to support it.

For a film with layered characterizations like this, it often falls into a trap taking itself so seriously. But Super Deluxe has not only avoided that trope but has also chartered into territories unbeknownst to Tamil Cinema. You cannot fit this film into any genre as it’s a delightful cocktail of various human emotions. There’s humor, action, perversion, lust, greed, gangster elements, philosophy, religion, social message – everything! Maybe, the genre “dark comedy” comes close to describe it!

Eccentric and Mystifying

What I like about the movie the most it’s strikingly eccentric and enigmatic. It’s the reason I chose to re-watch as you are bound to miss out some of the casually dispensed but meaningful philosophical discourse that characters utter now and then. And there are plenty. I urge people who dismiss the film crudely as boring to rewatch to catch hold of all its brilliance.

Just like us normal humans do, every character in the film is fighting some inner demons. A dejected Shilpa after being denied entry to her son’s school remarks to an elderly woman selling flowers “What wrong I did? Don’t we all cut our hairs and nails according to our taste? I changed myself according to what I felt!” It may appear simple on the surface, but deep inside it questions society’s mistreatment of transgenders effectively. Arputham, a man who is eccentric with his belief, is having a serious dilemma about his faith after an encounter which proves to be life-changing. During one of the sequence, Shilpa’s son with his boyish innocence nonchalantly utters “Kadavul Sariyana silra payana iruppan pola.” Another instance, Leela talks about people constantly evolving with a beautiful line to her son “10000 years back people were roaming naked, now we are with clothes, 100 years later we may again revert to our naked days”. Even the psychopathic cop who makes us want to bludgeon him is shown to have shades of humanity. He rescues a centipede from being trampled and says “Leave him in a safe zone away from here.”  See this is eccentricity/wildness at its novel best! Isn’t this what life all about filled with Moments of uncertainty and coincidences? The film is filled with many deep lines such as these. TK makes sure he doesn’t go over-the-top in chastising the wide-held age-old beliefs; instead, he takes a dig at them sarcastically and poses serious questions with subtle dialogues.

Super Deluxe is terrifically enjoyable because it’s filled with chaos. Every scene has some noise accompanying it – either it’s an Ilayaraja song playing in the background or people talking somewhere close by or Vadivelu dialogues or street hawkers screaming. Every alleys and gully has some exciting characters, and the walls are plastered with posters of Hollywood films and “B” grade soft-porn films.  Isn’t chaos is what that fills our life for most part? How many times we plan things and execute it to perfection? We wander for peace and eventually find peace in chaos. Perhaps, the jarring sounds we hear by are yet another philosophical reference that life is full of chaos and confusion and one must be prepared to face it.

Another vital part of the film that I need to highlight is the organic flow of humor. Unlike a lot of Tamil films where humor is force-fed, here the fun is a part of the story. Whenever the film leers into the serious zone including a disconcerting and unsettling molestation scene, there is humor oozing out organically thus make us think of the whole scene more on a philosophical angle. I found the dark humor of three teenagers especially who by the way are terrific find, to be genuinely rib-tickling.  Whether it’s the story uttered by one of the teens when they go to murder a guy or the hilarious explanation one gives to a woman in the CD shop to get a blue film, the youngsters tickle our funny bones with their wit. One of them is even nick-named Ghaaji (Ghaaji is the madras slang for people those exhibit Lascivious behavior). Immediately after a philosophical discourse by Leela towards the end of the film, we see her son calling his friend “Thev…. Payya” and he reverts with a witty one-liner that makes them both burst into laughter! It is TK’s way of saying “draw smile even from adversity!” And Fahad Faasil is just phenomenal with his musings!

Dazzling Camera work & Tantalizing Music

If Aaranya Kaandam was dark, then Super Deluxe is adorned with vibrant color palettes. Nirav Shah and PS Vinod’s scintillating camera work leaves an ever-lasting impact on us. In the lens of Nirav/Vinod duo, the grimy narrow gullies appear gorgeous; filthy streets appear fabulous. I can’t rave enough about the location: Nope it’s not a posh Adyar or an Anna Nagar or the hot-and-happening OMR which is featuring in every second Tamil Movie, instead, it’s the crumbling edges of North Chennai with plenty of graffiti and posters plastered in its brittle walls. The hard effort TK has taken to choose the location is evident that even a mundane scene is remembered for its eye-catchy location. The breath-taking cinematography lifts the film to stratospheric heights. The wise use of Blue/red/yellow color at appropriate places blends with the mood of characters and lends more credibility to the plot.

Yuvan Shankar Raja completely packs a punch with his rousing Background score. SD should be the comeback film for this incredibly talented music director who’s gone astray for the past few years. Much like Aaranya Kaandam, there are no songs but has carried the film on his shoulders to extraordinary heights. Perhaps, a National award is on the way for Yuvan for his stellar work here. A bare thank you for Ilayaraja wouldn’t suffice for the role his music played in elevating the scenes. I’m not sure anyone other Yuvan would have had this privilege in first place, with the way IR has been behaving these days!

TK has written the film along with three different directors –Myskkin, NalanKumarasamy, and Neelan K Sekar. The fact that four different filmmakers have come together for a project is a healthy trend. Maybe Super Deluxe could be a bellwether in this way. This pattern is not uncommon in Hollywood. It’s hard to find who wrote what perhaps that’s what made Super Deluxe a super awesome journey. A clue – If you are someone who’s following Mysskin’s works, you can spot what he wrote in one entertaining segment in the lead up to the climax.

Perfect Casting

Kumararaja doesn’t glorify transgenders but has humanized them. We as a society have let them down by continuously mocking them, throwing jabs and tantrums at them, scorning and side-lining them and in the process, we have dehumanized them. I never really liked them and have been pretty dismissive of them as perennial troublemakers and an abomination. But my opinion on them has mostly changed these days after hearing some accounts from my acquaintances about their good deeds. And this film has drastically altered my perception towards them. TK realized there’s to be an organic approach in bringing them to the mainstream which is right and has succeeded in this attempt.

Vijay Sethupathi as transgender Shilpa was brilliant. During the first watch, I wasn’t very impressed with the character. It took me a second watch to take note of the multi-dimensional, multi-layered portrayal. As a helpless and guilt filled transgender, who had to put through facing insult from school kids, put up with sexual assault from a salacious cop, being nice to his lovable son, VJS has delivered a subtle performance. The actor inside VJS stands tall when the remorse filled Shilpa confesses something important to Arputham during a scene set in the subway.

Mysskin and his sidekick Ramaswamy were solid. His transformation from an eccentric evangelist Arputham to a rational human Dhanasekara is organic and very believable. It is something we all go through life at some point. I often get torn grappling with my faith. Ramya Krishnan brings her experience and versatility in the role. She proves again why great actors need just a couple of frames to leave something memorable. If it was Yasmin Ponnappa who delivered a great punch in the climax of the film, here, it is Ramya Krishnan who does it with gusto.

Samantha, where have you been all these years? I haven’t watched much of films featuring Samantha except Nee Thaane en ponvasantham, and that was a nightmare! Her performance in Super Deluxe is top-notch and would speak for rest of her career, and the brilliant Fahad Fazil equally supports her as her hen-pecked husband. Fahad’s effortless acting style proves my point about the grooming actors get in Malayalam cine industry. In a way, Fahad Faazil can be seen as an extension of Sampath’s character in AK. If a chase brought sense to Sampath in AK, here it is Fahad’s outburst replete with all cuss words ( in a monologue) brings him to senses. Fahad gets the hilarious lines in the films. His musings about caste, democracy, morality, traffic signals,banks, and politics are all delightful.

If it was the Kid, who played Kodukka Puli that walked away with the honors in AK, here it is Master Ashwanth who delivers a memorable performance. TK has brought the childish innocence and mischievousness well on screen. Bravo Ashwanth! You won our hearts kid with an impeccable performance! Way to go!

The youngsters who portrayed the sex-starved adolescents were brilliant, and we are guaranteed to see more of them in the near future.  

Bagavathy Perumal aka BUGS as the lewd Inspector Berlin is a revelation. His cackles and lust filled eyes make our skin crawl, and we want to kick the shit out of him. What more for an actor than to be disliked with a passion? BUGS! You rocked man! But I’m afraid he’s going to get stereotyped by the talentless Tamil movie makers!

Some people found the film to be a tad long especially the portions featuring Bugs, which is reasonably understandable as the rape-threatening scenes appeared a bit long drawn out and draggy. But I can get that as TK wanted us to have a close look into the perverted mind of Inspector Berlin. The scene though draggy has enough depth and conveys what it intended to with a conviction.

On the whole, I feel Super Deluxe is worth the wait, and I would label it as the best Tamil film I watched in this decade. This one even betters Aaranya Kaandam and Vada Chennai, two films from which I can’t get my mind off!  It’s a journey that I will never forget, and I wouldn’t mind a third or a fourth watch within this week. I am also taking a break from watching new Tamil movies for the next 3 or 4 months as I may become biased and judgmental comparing them to this once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece. I am sure this film will occupy a major chunk of time whenever there is a discussion/dissection of Thiagarajan’s complete oeuvre of works after he hangs up his boots. I’m also not sure if Super Deluxe would appeal to everyone because of their cultural sensibilities and religious indoctrination that shapes up their beliefs. If you go with an open mind, you can enjoy it.

Super Deluxe is Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s just second film in eight years. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind waiting a few more for his next crazy film. It will be worth the wait that much I can assure. During one of the pivotal instances, a character utters to its lookalike “May the force be with you.” I want to say the same to the supremely talented Thiagarajan Kumararaja!

Vada Chennai (North Madras) is an important place in the sprawling city of Madras and a one that has maintained its identity despite its counterparts going through a complete makeover in the name of modernity. The grimy streets, rough people, sea breeze, the scent of dry fish emanating everywhere in the surroundings, and packed houses give a unique identity to this part. The area has its share of murderers, robbers, scalawags, and drug-lords thus earning the dubious tag of being the underbelly of the sprawling Chennai city though much has changed now. From minor scuffles to violent gang wars, the area has seen it all. Of course, not every human being is born a criminal. The environment plays a significant role in upbringing. Unfortunately, the media and the movies have portrayed the area to be an inhospitable crime-ridden hellhole, which is far from the truth. Being a Chennaite who lives in a corner of North Chennai & having roamed around in the area shown in these films for decades and having many friends still living there, I can vouch that there are plenty of good people out there who live there because they have taken a liking to their areas. A home is a home after all, and these people have been living here for generations.

Except for directors like Vetrimaran, Thiagarajan Kumararaja and Pushkar Gayathri others have slipped many times in trying to capture the vast landscape in its purest essence. So, I was excited when Vetrimaran announced he’s going to film his dream film “Vada Chennai” based on the gangsters of North Chennai. My only worry was that he mentioned that he’s going to make the film casting that non-actor, sophomoric clown Simbu as the lead. Of course, I breathed a sigh of relief when that jackass walked out of the project Dhanush (someone tailor-made for these kinds of roles) is taking over the project.

Note:

You may think I may have been exaggerating in my comparison of Vetri Maran with Martin Scorcese. I have enormous regards for Director Vetrimaran for the intense ground research that he does before making his films. I especially liked Polladhavan (2007), a kickass Gangster film, a lot for its realistic portrayal of how grudge forces men to go their extreme. Everything about the movie was perfect from Dhanush/Daniel Balaji/Kishore’s realistic acting to the organic humor that was a part of the story (Santhanam & Karunas were brilliant) to the pulsating action sequences. Vetrimaran’s attention to detail and ground research were ingenious – the stuff of legend. The way he brought out raw human emotions (anger, lust, grudge, avarice, betrayal) on screen was novel. Right with his first film, he showed that he’s something out of the ordinary something which even an acclaimed filmmaker like Anurag Kashyap acknowledges. The problem with most of the Tamil Filmmakers is that they come out with a bang in their debut but eventually fade away falling into the standard trope. But, Vetrimaran didn’t fall into the commercial honey trap and has come across as a filmmaker who is out to make a difference. His passion and verve were displayed in his subsequent works; Aadukalam, Visaranai and even the films he produced (barring a couple of commercial tripe) far – each classic in their way. Great filmmakers are more worried about the quality than their quantity. I’m sure by the time Vetrimaran hangs his boots he would have made far few films than his compatriots.

The case for example – Martin Scorcese, did just 24 films in a career spanning more than half a century. Martin Scorcese is someone who is known for his epic gangster films (Mean Streets, GoodFellas, Casino, Gangs of New York and The Departed). Being a fan of gangster movies, I have watched these films a countless number of times, and it astounds me still). Scorcese is a master at capturing the allure of the life of gangsters, but he never glorified them or condemned them viscerally. There’s a stinging criticism which is unfair that he romanticizes Gangsters which is untrue. Having brought up in a rough neighborhood New York, which was the epicenter of crime back then, He brought to screen what he saw/went through in life, he understood their psyche well and what was conveyed on the screen was poignant.

Despite being brought up in a rural town during his childhood, Vetrimaran has stated in an interview that he had spent a big chunk of time in North Chennai during his college days and some period later and considered himself as a typical Chennai Paiyyan at his heart. Unlike a lot of filmmakers who were able only to rely on caricatures, Vetrimaran digs his heel deeply and goes into the psyche of people to know why they had to take to crime for a living which is something Scorcese regularly did. Never before Vetri, had a filmmaker been able to capture the very essence of North Chennai to its core and the rough and tumble of the life there. His work inspired Thiagarajan Kumararaja and Ranjith to come up with Aaranya Kandam and Madras respectively – there’s a heavy influence of Vetrimaran in both the films.

Unlike other movie reviews I posted, I have given the complete story here so that viewers can have a peek into the brilliant mind of Vetrimaran. If you haven’t watched the film, just read the synopsis and move on to the analysis.

Synopsis

A young carom board player finds himself at the epicenter of a bloody and lethal gang war because of his decisions. How he landed up there, and his future course of action is what the movie is all about.

Plot

It’s the year 1987. The movie opens with a murder. We see four men with bloodstained hands talking between themselves after they have taken down a heavyweight in their area. It’s a 360-degree camera shot moving from one person to another, kind of like what you see in a Tarantino film. Senthil (Kishore), Guna (Samuthirakani), Velu (Pawan), and Jawa Pazhani (Sai Dheena) are the four murderers. They decide between themselves that two of them will go to jail and the other two will bail them out in some time. Cut a year later, the two (Velu & Guna) are still in prison and realize that they have conned by Senthil and this turns them into furious enemies.

The film is built layer by layer with the narrative following a non-linear pattern. It is to be expected for a movie like this which spans from 1987 to 2003.

It’s the millennium, and we see Anbu (Dhanush) in prison over a squabble with Siva (Velu’s brother). Within a few days in prison, he gets into the wrong books of Velu by snitching on them to the warden. As Siva and Velu are gunning for his life, he seeks shelter in Senthil by befriending Raju, an aide of him, who is nicknamed as the Loadman as he’s the use who smuggles drugs for the Senthil camp . Senthil along with his accomplices rule the 7th block of the prison and runs a flourishing drug cartel inside the prison.

During the flashback reveal we learn that Anbu is an excellent carom player living in the hood where these gangsters belong and is aspiring to get a government job through sports quota. He falls for Padma (Aishwarya Rajesh), an intrepid hood girl that doesn’t give two hoots about uttering cuss words like “Ot**, O***la). Of course, it follows the standard trope of Tamil Cinema with love blossoming after a clash. In a situation where he has to stand up for her, he gets drawn into the world of crime, which is explained during another flashback reveal later. There’s also a constant reference to Rajan here and there, about whom we learn in the second half. There is Thambi (Daniel Balaji) who plays the mediator between Guna and Senthil’s gangs.

Siva and Velu want revenge on both Anbu and Senthil and are looking for the right opportunity to dispatch him. They get it during a carom tournament which happens inside the prison premises. During a stunning fight sequence which occurs during the carom tournament conducted with Shamianas erected, Anbu does the ultimate betrayal by stabbing Senthil behind his neck much to the horror of Raju. It is learned that Anbu was sent to Jail with a plan that was conceived by Guna and Velu to take out Senthil.

Though we’ve seen such twists in the past, the way its executed here deserves praise — the “what next” curiosity factor has been maintained thoroughly well throughout the narrative.

Never before in a Tamil film, have we seen prison sequences beautifully shot. From the dingy walls to the dirty toilets to the drug cartel that’s run there, it seems that Vetrimaran has taken laborious efforts to reveal what happens inside the prison. There’s much detailing on the ways through which Pepsi (Code name for cocaine) is smuggled – pickles, soap bars, vegetables, coconut, and anus. In fact, in a hilarious scene, a cop asks Raju “Is it your ass or a load vehicle?” after he gets caught with drugs stuffed up in his ass. This rich detailing, be it in prison or the hood scenes in the help us sink with the story.

The second half starts with Anbu explaining his side of the story to Raju, why he had to do this betrayal. And it opens another flashback – Anbu and his brother in law Kannan get entangled in a cobweb of crime and gang wars after they accidentally murder Jawa Pazhani for a situation involving Padma. It is through Guna’s help that he’s saved and he’s been indebted to him ever since. We also learn Senthil has survived from the murder attempt in prison but is crippled and confined in a wheelchair and is unaware of the person who stabbed him. His camp is vexatious unable to find the snitch.

After Anbu comes out on bail, he tries to lead a normal life with his wife. But fate has other plans for him as he finds himself at the epicenter of the turf war between Senthil and Guna again. He realizes there is no going back sort of like one-way traffic.

During the final flashback reveal, we see Rajan (Ameer), a local kingpin also a do-gooder with an extreme passion for his land and people, is ruling the hood with his henchmen (Velu, Senthil, Guna, and Jawa Pazhani) and his brother Thambi. Rajan is married to Chandra (Andrea Jeremiah). We see land-politics, a theme that is now extremely popular in Tamil Cinema after the movie Kaththi. The Politician-police-rowdy nexus brings down Rajan. Chandra vows to avenge the murder of Rajan with a meticulous plan in a superbly shot scene.

Cut to the present, Anbu gets entangled in a similar situation on land politics just like Rajan, and at the other end are Senthil and Guna’s gangs. The film ends on a high with Anbu fighting off the henchmen and standing tall in his hood. Anbu’s rise as a Gangster is all set to be documented in the second and third part of the movie. 

Analysis

Vetrimaran has hit it out of the park with his Gangster epic. I always thought that it’s tough to beat Aaranya Kandam in the Tamil Gangster genre and if there’s anyone that’s capable of doing it, it has to be Vetrimaran. And Vetrimaran has not only managed to beat it convincingly but has also set a new benchmark for a gangster film in the process.

As I mentioned the film is built chapter wise and has many subplots, he has put his heart and soul in crafting each chapter and has painstakingly anchored a narrative that is uncompromising as well as intriguing. His unflinching passion for art is evident in each scene. Despite the sprawling number of characters, he managed to give ample screen time to each character and make us see the world through their lens. The characters evolve organically. Nobody does anything suddenly out of the blue. The world is not merely black and white according to Vetri; everyone has grey shades around them. A case for example: Despite Rajan being a do-gooder and a man of golden heart, his way of living is smuggling.

The ground research and detailing for this film is path-breaking, and something filmmakers want to emulate. As mentioned the film runs across two decades, he beautifully includes the memorable political events in that era as a significant part of the narrative – MGR’s death, Jayalalithaa’s ascension to power, and the anarchy that breaks out following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. Also, the film has a lot of visual metaphors to illustrate the respective eras – popular bikes, posters, costumes, and even hairstyles. There’s a subtle “Gay” reference in prison which he has managed to show without being explicit. And one more thing – we all know about the caste of people who live in those rough and tough underbellies of the city, but at no point of the film, there is an explicit reference or even suggestive frames or even subtle references. Vetrimaran exhibits his maturity by not using his movie as a stage for caste propaganda and drawing mileage from it like what some filmmakers do these days. The success of a trilogy can be gauged by how much curiosity it leaves on the audience at the end of the movie and how soon they want to see the sequel. Vada Chennai is one of those rare movies which makes you feel want more! Vetrimaran proves again why he’s the best storyteller out there with this beautiful film.

Cameraman Velraj assists him superbly with different color palettes to differentiate eras. The film is a visual treat! Santhosh Narayan lifts the film with his sharp BGM and proves again why he’s the best among the current crop of music directors. I highly doubt if some visuals would have created the impact it did without the accompanying BGM – for example around the interval block and the electrifying King of Sea theme for Ameer. Of all the songs in the movie, I liked the song “Dowlatha” that comes in a montage form during prison sequences.

It’s a cakewalk for Dhanush. It’s hard to imagine any other actor bring such realism to these kinds of roles. It’s an author-backed role, and Dhanush has performed it with such finesse and élan. What makes this performance memorable is the restraint he brought in each frame – there’s calmness in him waiting to explode any moment, and it does during the interval and in the climax fight.
Dhanush puts his skills to ample use and displays a wide range of emotions – Anxiety, anger, greed, dismay or epiphany with a conviction. His transformation from a scrawny weakling to a fearless man who stands for his land is organic and he did that excellently. He’s done similar roles in the past. His role here can be seen as an extension of Polladhavan, where he played a carefree youngster who lands in the world of crime. But the uniqueness he brings to each role speaks a lot about his acting prowess. The boy who played his brother-in-law ably supports him. The boy performed exceptionally well.

Aishwarya Rajesh is a scream playing a foul-mouthed woman hurling expletives during the first half and maintaining restraint and unflappability during the second half. Andrea Jeremiah is a revelation. She plays a woman who changes the course of the narrative, and she steals the show with a subtle performance. For filmmakers who wet their pants with the mere mention of bimbos like Nayanthara and Trisha, take note of Andrea – she’s a real deal! As I mentioned during my CCV review, the portrayal of women characters in a genre like this is something ManiRatnam should take note of.

Mark my words – Andrea, Aishwarya Rajesh, and the boy who played Dhanush’s brother in law are going to play a crucial role in the subsequent parts.

Ameer was perfect as the kingpin of the hood. The raw passion and verve he exhibits on screen is a blast. However, I felt his portion could have been made a little longer given the intensity he brought on display with the limited time he got. Probably we are going to see more of him in similar roles in the future. 

Kishore, Pawan, Samuthirakani, and Sai Dheena all played their parts well. Though I felt Samuthirakani could have worked more on the Madras lingo. While the others manage it convincingly, for Samuthirakani, it appears very artificial. The O*** and Omm*** he utters sound very unnatural. But his body language was great nevertheless. Nobody uses Pawan, Daniel Balaji and Kishore as well as Vetrimaran, and they express their gratitude by delivering a stunning performance each time. Radharavi was perfect as a scheming politician.

I don’t have any negatives to mention in this film. May be a couple of things – despite having women characters anchoring the narrative, Gangster genre is mostly a man’s play area and I’m unsure about its appeal to the women. Also, the film will not appeal much to Non-Chennai guys I presume, some of my friends who hails from rural towns absolutely despised the movie.

I missed Vijay Sethupathi in this film. A movie like this is his playing field. He would have elevated the movie to a different level. Perhaps, Vetrimaran must find a way to include him in the upcoming sequel as he’s not the one who minds sharing screen space with other actors. And also Sampath Raj, he was impressive as a gangster in Aaranya Kaandam.

People found the movie to be long but as far as I’m concerned, it isn’t much of an issue with the gripping product we had. I would have been happy even if it was about an hour longer. During one of his interviews, he mentioned the original movie was close to 5 hours and he had trimmed it down to less than 3 hours. Hey! If that’s the case, release the director’s cut, I will buy it even if it’s exorbitantly priced.

If you haven’t watched this masterpiece yet, find a way to watch it immediately. If the sequels are properly made Vada Chennai could well prove to be Kollywood’s own “Godfather.”

I have watched Director Ajay Gnanamuthu’s debut film “Demonte Colony,” and I must say I wasn’t very impressed with the movie though it gained appreciation from all quarters and garnered visits to that particular area in Alwarpet. I wouldn’t dismiss the film as bad entirely, it was a decent effort for a debutant but couldn’t measure up to movies like Pizza or NKPK. I had mentioned this to one of my friends who worked in that project and who by the way is the best friend of Ajay Gnanmuthu. He too agreed with me that it could have better. He regularly gave me updates about Imaikka Nodigal (though not the story) during various stages of its making and the problems it ran into regarding exceeding the budget. Knowing that Anurag Kashyap is involved in the project and is playing the baddie got me curious. I’m a fan of his works. I admire his knack to pick up indie talents and his passion for alternative cinema. It is with some expectation and also being a sucker for serial killer films, I watched this flick and here’s my take on it:

The plot unfolds in Bangalore, and the makers announce it straight away that for a better understanding, characters are talking in Tamil. It’s a wise move as we’ve seen way too many Tamil films set in an alien land where all characters talk in Tamil as if it’s their MT. The film begins with a kidnapping and murder. Unlike other thriller movies where just the killer’s voice is heard, or he struts around with a face mask till the climax, we get to know about the killer (Anurag Kashyap) right at the beginning. He makes it very clear that he’s in the game to tease the CBI through a dig to Anjali Vikramaditya (Nayanthara). There’s a reference that this is second murder and he wanted the case to be transferred to the CBI with whom he wants to play cat and mouse game. Subsequently, he phones in during a live program and reveals that he’s the dreaded serial killer Rudra who has resurfaced after a hiatus and informs that the CBI has played a cover-up operation that they solved the case, but he’s still alive. He even announces the date and time of his next target and manages to pull it off with without any hassle successfully. He’s making it clear that he has a score to settle with Anjali through a lengthy monologue in an intriguing confrontation at Bangalore metro station.

Simultaneously we see an angle set in Chennai, where Anjali’s brother Arjun(Atharvaa) is unable to come to terms after a break up with his girlfriend Krithika (Rashi Khanna). Arjun moves to Bangalore with an intention to patch up with his girlfriend. In Bangalore, Rudra kidnaps Krithika and frames Arjun as the culprit. The rest of the film showcases Anjali’s efforts to save her brother from the charges and unravel the mystery behind Rudra. 

It’s an interesting premise with a criminal mastermind playing mind games with a robust department like CBI, but it’s sadly let down by some amateurish writing and screenplay. For a film based on a genre like this, there should be an urgency that should have been ideally maintained throughout the film. Instead, Ajay falls on clichés and standard tropes as fillers. One wonders what’s the need of Atharvaa and the hackneyed romance angle in the movie in the first place especially when the director has made it clear that the battle is between Rudra and Anjali right at the beginning. Instead of including more scenes that showcase the criminal genius of Rudhra and the intelligence of Anjali, the film shot itself in the foot with an insipid love angle with Atharvaa and Vijay Sethupathi later. Though VJS manages to impress with his 15-minute cameo, it fails to add much to the end product. Both the romance angles have severely hampered this film.

Why the hell do our filmmakers feel compelled to include this love-shit in each movie? There are so many emotions that can be explored. It’s vexatious to see them traverse on the tried and tested formula so very often. Is it a sign of laziness or do they have that audacious temerity to fix these fellows deserve nothing more than this? I couldn’t fathom the reason, if you care, please let me know why?

There is no doubt that love is a great emotion and something we all go through at some point in our lives, why can’t it just be a part of the product, why does it have to be a mainstay in all our movies? It is because of their fixation on love, our makers aren’t able to experiment in other genres, and even if they do, they insert love angle like an OCD patient. The fulcrum of the thriller is shaken because of this forceful insertion, and the end product appears banal. You don’t have to look up to Hollywood for inspiration, look at the neighboring Malayalam film industry which comes up with gripping thrillers now and then.

Despite the hindering romance angle, the film manages to hold our attention at times. There are flashes of brilliance in the investigation like Anjali spotting the clues in a video, and the lion-hyena story uttered by Rudhra which proves to be the turning point of the story. One cannot help but sympathize with the police department for what they have to endure. We all criticize them freely, but the point director makes it here is something that’s worth to consider before we place our scathing criticisms on them.

There are plenty of inane, illogical and banal scenes that dampen the proceedings. Anjali explains about Jack the ripper to the higher officials of CBI as if they haven’t even heard about him. Dear Ajay, as a common man even I’m well-endowed with information on serial killers like Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Charles Manson. We live in the internet era, and we have access to foreign films just like you do, why do you underestimate the intelligence of your viewers? The makers should have done more ground research.

It is because of these factors the final revelation doesn’t leave the impact it desired to do. The cinematic liberties have been used to its full limits. There is a saying that you will have to suspend your disbelief while watching a movie, despite doing that watching a dreaded serial killer on the run giving a skip to the police with a bicycle is too much to bare! Also, the film runs close to 3 hours with much lag and drag. Had Ajay managed to trim down the uninspiring romance angle and cut down vapid scenes, we would have gotten a slick and taut thriller that managed to keep us at the edge of our seats.

Despite the overwhelming negatives evident on the surface what makes this film work is the brilliance of Anurag Kashyap. As Rudhra and ACP Martin Roy, he looks menacing and is a treat to watch. Check out his expression during a shootout in theatre which will indicate the man’s acting prowess. His eyes and expressions convey a lot and makers were smart to use the voice of Director Magizh Thirumeni for dubbing. MT’s base voice suits Anurag’s personality well and the lip-sync was perfect.  The voice is spooky and sends chills down to your spines especially during the lion-hyena monologue. For a debutant, his performance is excellent. The intimidating BGM for him is fantastic, and it’s something that I listen so often! Though the songs were nothing much to write about, Hip-hop Tamizha duo managed to score well with the electrifying BGM that you can listen below.

A lot has been written about how Nayanathara excelled in the role of a CBI offer. Please cut it out for godsakes! Yeah! She was Okay, did well during her encounters with Rudhra, no doubts about it! But on a closer look please observe if it took this bimbette more than a decade to come up with a performance like this, it should tell something about her supposed acting prowess. Still, the bimbette couldn’t dub for herself after spending more than ten years in the film industry and need someone like Deepa Venkat to do the job! And even here she was founding wanting on a few scenes where she was unable to match up with the heat of the moment. If such an actress devoid of any acting skills and grace is hailed as a female superstar, this should say something about the Augean stables of Kollywood these days.

You don’t even have to go back to the days of Savitri and other actresses in that era, just compare Nayanthara’s performance with yesteryear actresses like Revathy, Radhika, Suhasini, Radha and even Khushboo and Simran, she falls short by miles. They were able to carve a niche for themselves during their prime days and still manage to impress whenever they appear. Whereas actors like Nayanthara and Trisha are still struggling to get their act together to deliver a good performance despite spending so many years in the film industry. Stop with the mindless worship of Nayanthara; it’s a shame!

Had she spent some time in her native Malayalam film industry, she would have learned well, but for the dunce, money was more important than sharpening her craft. If you don’t believe me, watch when Asuran featuring Dhanush and Manju Warrier (someone with decades of Malayalam film experience) helmed by Vetrimaran releases, to understand the grooming they have in Mollywood. Talk to me then about Nayanthara’s acting prowess!

And the kid playing Nayanthara’s foul-mouthed daughter is pestiferous. And please filmmakers, for godsakes allow kids to be kids, don’t insert adultness in them and make us loathe them. Vijay Sethupathi, though impressive in a cameo with a lousy hairstyle appears wasted.

In summary, Imaikka Nodigal is far from being a nail-biting thriller, but somehow it’s saved by Anurag Kashyap’s brilliance and Nayanthara’s “Ok” ish performance. If you discount the logical loopholes and the cinematic liberties that it had taken full use of, Imaikka Nodigal is a watchable thriller.

Director Mani Ratnam has been one of the important figures in the history of Tamil movies. Some hail him as a stalwart, master craftsman, and a pioneer. Some feel he is overrated! You either love him or hate him but you cannot ignore the impact he has created in the Tamil Cinema industry in his illustrious career. The man who has given us some absolute classics in the past, has been on a slump for almost a decade. Every time he decides to come out of the slump in these years with a new film he slumped downhill further as they were miserable than its predecessor. With out-dated stories that didn’t do any good to the leads featuring in them, no longer he enjoys the clout he used to have once upon a time. One of the biggest assets of Mani’s earlier movies was that once you come out of the theater, you come out with some characters (traits) but of late with his inane scripts, if there’s anything that comes out after watching a Ratnam movie – it’s a headache that refuses to die soon!

So, when Maniratnam announced that he’s going to make a multi-starrer one was sure how desperate the man was it to come back to form given the way filmmaking has changed over the years. Going by the looks, it appeared as a gangster saga something Maniratnam successfully did with the path-breaking Nayakan and Thalapathi. So was Mani was able to reclaim his former glory with CCV? Here’s my take on it:

The film begins with a voice over from Vijay Sethupathi about city changing its skin every 10 years like a snake. These days’ gangsters come with different names – Industrialist, educationalist, Real estate Kingpin and Senapati (Prakash Raj). We learn Senapthi is the man running the largest criminal enterprise in the city. An attempt made on the life of Senapathi and his wife while returning from the temple and it leaves them critically ill. The information spreads like wildfire and it brings the sons together to avenge the attack on their father.

Varadan (Arvind Swamy), the eldest one, is a hot-headed hunk who believes more in Guns than dialogue (inspired by Sonny Corleone). He is, by all means, the heir-apparent to Senapati’s enterprise and takes care of the operations in Chennai. Varadan is married to Chitra, a large-hearted woman who doesn’t even mind her husband having a paramour!!

Thyagu (Arun Vijay), the second son is more brain than brawl (Reminds of Michael Corleone). He runs a business in Dubai. He’s seen sipping Champagne in a yacht talking business deals with Local Sheiks. Thyagu is married to Aishwarya Rajesh, a Srilankan Tamil and has two kids.

Ethi (Simbu), the youngest son is an arms dealer in Serbia. He is in a relationship with a girl and it seems something is bothering him all the time.

And there is Rasool (Vijay Sethupathi), a cop under suspension for wrongdoings who makes it very clear about his financial aspirations whenever he gets screen space. Rasool is the childhood friend of Varadhan.

As soon as the information of the attack on Senapathy reaches their ears, Thyagu and Ethi join their brother Varadan in search of the perpetrator. Their first suspect is their families’ arch rival Thiagarajan. And they immediately draw the first blood by taking out his son in law. Senapati realizes it’s not the work of his enemies rather it’s something done by one of his 3 sons to take over his empire. Though, it may appear a whodunit genre it is very clear in the first half, who among the 3 did it.

The ailing Senapathy passes away shortly and what follows is the bitter struggle for power between the three brothers. Right from their introduction, the brothers make no bones about the fact that each one of them wants to be the heir-apparent.

Varadan arranges to finish off his both brothers in their respective locations but they survive the assault but their families are destroyed. Ethi and Thyagu want to avenge Varadan for what he did to them, and they team up with Rasool who nonchalantly replies he will do the job for those whoever pays him high despite Varadan being his best buddy. Lots of violence and bloodshed happen in the ensuing scheme of things with all the sides suffering heavy losses. Not surprisingly, the film ends on a predictable note with the brothers finishing off each other and Rasool saving the last bullet to take out Ethi. Rasool reveals the operation “Red Sky” (which was started to dismantle the Senapati empire) is accomplished.

From the casting, it appears Mani Ratnam is keeping an eye on the happenings of Tamil Cinema by roping in those who have performed some meaty roles in the recent past. But unfortunately, he wasn’t able to provide enough meat to them here. Despite the neat characterization of the three brothers that we see in the beginning, Maniratnam is unable to keep up the momentum. Arvind Swamy is seen screeching and mau-mauing for most part. Arun Vijay is shown to be brainy, but there is no scope for him to display it and that orangutan Simbu as usual pees all over himself in the name of underplaying, though I must say it was one of his tolerable sh*t.
There are far too many characters very Un-Maniratnam like, including some you could miss at a blink of an eye.

The winner by a distance among all the actors is Vijay Sethupathi, who leaves no stones unturned to deliver yet another solid performance. It hardly comes as a surprise given the golden streak the actor is in currently. Despite a limited screen time, he shines bright with his sarcasm, witty one-liners, and quips. I really wish if his role were written a bit longer. The man turns even a sombre situation into a gripping one. Like the cricket reference, VJS is in his “form of his life”. Of late, I heard that he dropped out of Ratnam’s ambitious “Ponniyin Selvan” remake. Good for him! it’s going to do no good to his career with the way Ratnam makes his films these days.

It’s clear that Ratnam’s thinking lies more in the days of Godfather, not that I could criticize, because for Gangster genre it’s like a Bible. It worked in Nayakan, but it appears as a deliberate insertion here adding nothing to the context.

With a largely hackneyed screenplay and predictable twists and turns, the film falls flat. For a script like this that had shades of films like Godfather, Maniratnam should have concentrated more on building moments of intrigue that holds the attention of viewers. Rather without focusing on building such moments, the film jumps from one frame to the other without creating any impact.

There is also not much fluidity that you normally see in a Mani Ratnam film either. But I could even forgive that. What’s unforgivable is the stereotypical portrayal of women in this film which is un-Maniratnam like. None of the female characters leave any impact with the weakest being Aditi Rao, in a grotesque role. Worth noting that in films like Aaranya Kaandam and Vada Chennai, women characters played a pivotal role and they drove the plot. Perhaps Mani should draw a leaf out the books of Vetri Maran and Thiagarajan Kumararaja when he’s trying his hand in the gangster genre, the next time. With these weak links in place even the brilliant cinematography goes to the trash cans. Sorry Mani! even the brilliant Santhosh Sivan could not salvage this weak script. I seriously want to know what those critics are smoking given the way they were going gaga during its release. Thank god I just watched the movie a couple of months back.

AR Rahman’s music is largely relegated to BGM in this movie, which is fairly understandable for a genre like this. I’ve mentioned this to so to many of my friends that ARR has lost his charm. He’s not the person he was. His music looks jaded and very un-Rahmanish these days. He recently remarked in an interview that he’s missing Bollywood and Hollywood these days. His lackadaisical and uninspiring works of late suggest that the man needs a break. The beauty of Rahman’s music is it grows on you continuously. I’m really sorry to so, he’s on a downhill for some time. That reminds me of the adage “All Good things come to an end”. Yeah! Mazhai Kuruvi song was alright but nowhere near some of his brilliant composition in the 90s and early 2000s. I know I’m very subjective about this. If it works for you, it’s good!

CCV could have been a memorable outing and a comeback film for Mani had he tied the loose ends and came up with a razor sharp screenplay. With what we have, it neither works as a whodunit thriller or as a gripping gangster drama! It’s been more than a decade since I watched a movie featuring that guttersnipe Simbu. CCV gave me ample reasons to skip his movie for yet another decade.

Not many times we get suspense thrillers in Tamil Cinema that stand the test of time. There are many films in this genre that raise our intrigue and later fizzle out like a last year’s flowerpot, unable to keep up the momentum.

Thadam is the Director Magizh Thirumeni’s second collaboration with Actor Arun Vijay after a fairly engaging Thadayara Thaaka some years ago. The film brought Arun Vijay back from the woodwork and made us realize there is still life left in him. So, with some expectation, I watched Thadam.

Thadam is a whodunit thriller where the suspects are identical twins played by Arun Vijay. Just before the release, the makers released a four-minute sneak peek with the lead pair which teased the viewers with a question. As the film starts with the scene, we get the answer to it. Ezhil (Arun Vijay) is a financially well off civil engineer who is building his dream project and wants to settle down with his sweetheart Deepika (Tanya Hope). In a parallel track, we see Kavin (Arun Vijay again), a conman who’s pulling various frauds with his accomplice Suruli (Yogi Babu). Both the characters are juxtaposed which is fairly understandable as it goes with the process of character building.  We see some generic romance angles with Ezhil and Deepika t with the usual tropes that is largely insipid. And we witness Kavin and Suruli pulling one fraud after the other along with an old lady played by Meera Krishnan. The film progress at a snail’s pace with the narration swing back and forth between Kavin and Ezhil mostly for the first half an hour with the former getting more screen time. Kavin and Suruli land up in a problem with the latter held in captive with a situation brought out by Kavin’s gambling addiction. Kavin is despondent and is in huge needs of money to bring back Suruli and Ezhil is anxious about Deepika’s return. Cut! We see one among them commit a grisly murder and destroy all the evidence.

Based on a selfie evidence, Inspector Gopalakrishnan (Fefsi Vijayan) nabs Ezhil and locks him up. It is understood that Gopalakrishnan, who is about to retire has a score to settle with Ezhil and was just waiting for an opportunity to destroy him. We notice a sense of urgency in him trying to implicate Ezhil for the crime as he doesn’t have much time. And he receives the shock of his life when he sees Kavin brought up for the same charges. The film really picks up from this point! Both Kavin and Ezhil deny committing the crime and the department is really in a fix. And even more confusing is that they are gunning for each other’s throats in a dramatic action scene that was captured very well.

Inspector Malarvizhi (Vidya Pradeep) to whom Inspector Gopalakrishnan entrusts the job of finding the killer tries her best interrogating both Kavin and Ezhil. During interrogation, both Kavin and Ezhil accuse one another of committing the murder and call one another mentally ill and a habitual liar. Kavin appears more suave and sophisticated with his knowledge on various topics despite his limited education. Inspector Gopalakrishnan tries his best to trump up charges against Ezhil keeping their history in mind. But all such attempts are foiled by subsequent happenings from the investigation.

We learn about the enmity between the brother was brought by their dysfunctional family through the account of both the suspects. We head into a not-so-lengthy flashback, where we witness their troubled childhood. Kavin, in particular, has a hard time controlling her mother’s gambling habit. And the director thus makes it clear about the origins of Kavin’s gambling habit. We also learn Kavin has spent time in a mental institution.

Despite getting adequate information from both the suspects, all attempts to establish the real killer between the two hit a roadblock somehow. Also, take into account the legal saying, “Let a hundred guilty be acquitted, but one innocent should not be convicted”. With such a complex situation in hand, did the police manage to connect the loose ends? Between Kavin and Ezhil who committed the gruesome murder? You get the answer in the form of a spine-chilling climax.

Analysis

After a not-so-engaging first hour, the director literally takes you to the edge of your seat with a riveting second half.

Everything seems perfect from the moment the twins land up in prison. The maximum portions of the second half unfold in the police station but the director makes sure you do not get claustrophobic at any moment. There’s a twist at every turn and they have handled well. The art direction and cinematography were excellent in differentiating the places where Kavin and Ezhil are confined. And the music is decent as well.

Performance wise, this should go down as Arun Vijay’s best performance till date. It’s his show all the way. His flawless efforts in getting the mannerism and body language right for both the characters that are poles apart deserve special mention. Personally, I liked his portrayal of Kavin more than Ezhil.

For Director Magizh Thirumeni, it’s a hattrick of wins after Thadayara Thakka and the massively underrated Meaghamann. Not for a fleeting moment you take your eyes off the screen in the highly engrossing second half, the way he builds up tension and sustains it till the end deserves special applause. The success of the filmmaker can be gauged by the aftereffects it leaves on the audience. The fact he made audience google for certain references towards the end of the film shows the research behind this movie. Thank you for giving us a taut crime thriller.

As far as the negatives go, some pruning would have helped definitely. The flashback portions talking about a dysfunctional family is not compelling enough. The characterization of both the parents appears contrived and uninspiring. Sonia Agarwal’s performance fails to ring in our minds. She is shown both as a doting mother and a spoiled gambler. One cannot feel sorry for her plight with the weak characterization. Though the flashback portion is short, it’s not convincing enough to believe as the reason behind Kavin’s path to crime. The largely uninspiring first 45 mins could have been trimmed down to 25 minutes so that we didn’t get that feeling of dwelling into the plot much later into the movie. Director need not have taken so much pain in spoon feeding the audience by displaying the names on the screen so often to differentiate between Kavin and Ezhil. Come on! Tamil movie audiences have evolved from that stage.

Except for Vidya Pradeep, who excels in the role of a hapless inspector, the other women in the film didn’t have much to do. There are no force-fed songs that disturb the narrative in the second half. Thank god! Yogi Babu and FEFSI Vijayan have done a commendable job especially the latter.

On the whole, Thadam is a must-watch movie with some brilliant moments that will leave you wanting for more. Not many times we get to see a gripping film like this. If you haven’t watched it yet, head right away! This one is unmissable!

LKG evoked intense curiosity right from the day RJ Balaji revealed its poster. They were discussions that he could float a political party taking into account the emotions he stirred during the Jallikattu protests and the setback he received later. Having been a household name for nearly a decade for his witty one-liners and unique English during his stint as RJ, his popularity soared with his inspiring work during the Chennai Floods along with Actor Siddharth. And there was that Freudian slip in Jallikattu where he backtracked after a stunt which didn’t go well with the public. From then on, things weren’t so rosy for RJB with his stint as a comedian/sidekick to the hero doing nothing to justify his talent. Turned out, he too wasn’t interested in being a sidekick for too long and had decided to take a leap with LKG, a full-fledged political satire with him as the protagonist. Was RJB successful in his maiden attempt? Here’s my take on it:

LKG is the short name for Lalgudi Karuppiah Gandhi, a street smart councilor in Lalgudi with rich political ambitions. Right at the beginning, he shows he’s in politics not for “cleaning up the system” but to make money, a hell lot of money! He idolizes Nagaraja Cholan (an extremely popular character in Tamil Cinema made memorable by Sathyaraj), Raghuvaran in Mudhalvan, and Vijay Mallya! It’s clear what his goals are! He despises his father (Nanjil Sampath), who is shown as a failed politician (Something that he is in his real life, unfortunately!) and doesn’t want to end up like him. He has a faithful accomplice in Mayilsamy, who plays his uncle and is his right hand. There are certain scenes, in the beginning, to show how LKG is street smart and pragmatic, has many tricks up his sleeve, knows how to pull the right strings to get the job done. From pulling a prank to get some seats in an international school for kids in his ward to grabbing his cut in a local road contract, he makes it clear that he is no saint. He roams around with a Black Shirt and Saffron Dhoti, and when asked he nonchalantly replies “Karuppukul Kaaviyum adakkam”.

But LKG with his rich ambitions is discontented with his mediocre role and looks for a way to climb the ladder. In the process, he seeks the services of Campaign Management Company (Like Cambridge Analytica). Priya Anand portrays the role of Sarala Munisamy, (but she prefers to call it Sara M Samy,), a campaign manager, who is entrusted with the job of coaching LKG to progress into the big league at a “corporate price” of-course . Thankfully we don’t have a “loosu heroine” (a template of Tamil Cinema). Here the heroine is entrusted with a solid job and Priya Anand pulls it off effortlessly (lip sync was an issue however, wondering why she didn’t dub for herself given her command over the language). Thankfully, there is no force-fitted romance angle and yawn-inducing duets in the Alps!!

What follows is a set of hilarious scenes with LKG doing things that see him hogging the limelight and capture the attention of Bojappan (played nicely by Ramkumar Shivaji), a bigwig who is all set to become the political heir of the party that LKG belongs to. But for Bojappan who plots to become the Chief Minister after the departure of their current leader, the biggest threat he has to neutralize is Ramaraj Pandian (J K Ritheesh), a mighty leader in his party with decades of political experience behind his back. Having noticed about the shrewdness of LKG, he pits him against Ramaraj Pandian with the hope that a victory for LKG would offset the threat and make his route clear. What follows is the cat-and-mouse game between LKG and Ramaraj Pandian which is largely enjoyable although it’s bordering along the predictable lines.

LKG is an RJB show all the way. Apart from playing the titular role, he has also written the script for it. The hard work that he’s put in has borne its fruit. It is said that he’s missed 30 films to do this. RJB has thoroughly enjoyed making the movie which is clear from his on-screen body language that is oozing joy and exuberance. Well done RJB!

The script draws reference from all the popular events in TN since the departure of Jayalalithaa. No one is spared in this satire. Be it the ministers chattering in hospital when CM is admitted with a life-threatening situation (A minister eats Mixture!) or conducting a  movement against disease that gets widespread attention (a reference to Jallikattu) or RJB’s subtle dig on Tamil Nationalists during an entertaining mock press interview or the much revered scene – leaving the thermocol planks on the banks of a river (I wish they made that as a separate scene) or his dig at National Media’s step-motherly treatment towards issues concerning Tamil Nadu, all the satires in the movie work in a big way! The film highlights the role meme-makers play in our everyday life in a splendid way. In a way, it’s a collage of video memes that we have seen in these two years. It surely tickled my funny bones.

What I like about the film is that at no point of time, the film tries to get preachy. It’s not a literal laugh riot but has hit the right spots it intended. Even the lengthy monologue at the end, where RJB talks about the importance of voting for the right candidate isn’t boring as we pretty much know he’s no saint right at the beginning and at no point he repents for any of his wrongdoing and as expected he ends the film with a smirk towards Sara.

That said, the film is not without its flaws. At times, it aspires to be over-indulgent but that’s something you can forgive for a maiden attempt. Performance wise, except RJB and Priya Anand to some extent, others don’t have much to do. J K Ritheesh was passable, to say the least. Nanjil Sampath must seriously get back to Politics and please for god sakes make some money this time!! Acting is certainly not his strong point. To see him utter Thirukural verses appears as if he’s speaking in a political stage.

The tiff between LKG and Ramaraj Pandian could have been handled better. It’s understood that the rebelling Ramaraj Pandian is shown as the heavyweight in his party (a reference to TTV) and a kingpin in his surroundings. LKG, who is a political novice has a mighty task in front of him. It’s a David vs Goliath situation which demanded special treatment. For a film that scored perfectly until this point, it required a novel treatment to take it to the next level. Unfortunately, we were forced to endure the usual tropes associated with Tamil Cinema. Sequences like questioning the manhood of Ramaraj Pandian and the disgusting angle with Manobala and Pandian flashing in front of the camera appears very silly and cartoonish. And there’s not much to write about Music either. It appeared very pedestrian. Granted, nobody goes to these movies to enjoy music.

In conclusion, LKG is certainly a watchable movie that will entertain most of us given the events that have unfolded in front of us over the past two years. It was vastly superior in content and execution than Tamil Padam 2 which was on a similar terrain. For those failed-filmmakers-turned-faux-social-activists, who can’t stomach the success of LKG, get a life! Make something at least half witty as this! Stop pissing on others’ works like a wounded rat. In popular Internet slang, I can finish off saying “RJB has pretty much nailed it!”

Tamil Cinema has been a fecund territory for suspense thrillers. Since the days of Andha Naal to Adhe Kangal to the latest Thadam, the genre has developed a cult following which is minimal of course when compared to the global standards. Also referred to as whodunit, the genre is phenomenally popular in the Hollywood circles and there is a dedicated fan following for this particular genre. You might have seen forums boards, discussion panels and blogs that analyze such films in detail. There are devoted audience who dissect and debate every scene of such movies. A whodunit is a complex plot-driven story where the plot revolves around murder investigation and where the identity of the murderer is released only at the end of the story. The beauty in this genre is the audience is given the opportunity to deduce the identity of the murderer, just like the protagonist. A twist at the end of the tale that takes the viewers by the shock is the commonly followed pattern in these kinds of film.

But despite its limited reach, Tamil Cinema has seemingly fostered this genre comparatively better to its Telugu and Kannada counterpart. Worth noting that Malayalam industry has been churning top quality crime thrillers that could rival even some of the films in this genre that come out so often in Korean and Chinese.

Films in this particular genre that was close to the mainstream Tamil culture resonated well with their audience. Films that were set in alien territory or films that were remade/plagiarized without taking local culture into consideration were given the cold-shoulder treatment deservedly. The problem with this particular genre, it’s a bit difficult to make one that appeals to the cultural sensibilities of an average Tamilian as he/she is already indoctrinated with a set of beliefs.  An interesting observation or even irony is that Tamil audiences have always embraced crime writers but have shunned the films. Be it Rajesh Kumar or Subha or Pattukottai Prabhakar or even Sujatha with his countless Ganesh/Vasanth mysteries, their novels have left an indelible impression and they are pretty much household names all over Tamil Nadu. But the problem our filmmakers have is getting the novel rightly in its visual form. What’s accepted while reading isn’t readily accepted in its visual form, you may wonder why? That’s where imagination plays the role! Each reader has a different view, different perception of a character, they live with it, they even add a shade of their personality to their beloved character and visualize the character go through their lens and coast along with their motions. The traits associated with the characters such as their fear, their anxiety, their turbulence or internal turmoil are difficult to showcase in the visual medium unless you have fantastic actors like Daniel Day-Lewis or Viggo Mortensen on-board or when a suspense master like Alfred Hitchcock wields the megaphone.

When the reader sees the same character in blood and flesh in its visual form, at most times it doesn’t resemble their imaginations. And the mannerisms and quirks he associates with such characters are missing, thereby leaving them in a no man’s land. Add to it the cultural factor, in a society filled with a list of do’s and don’ts & taboos that you shouldn’t even touch with a ten foot barge pole, the gore, the violence and sex that has left to the imagination of viewers cannot be brought under the accepted toleration levels of the society. That’s one of the main reasons we haven’t seen much of Ganesh/Vasanth’s, Vivek/Roobalas/Gokulnath in the big screen. Another point to note even Hollywood has floundered a lot in this experiment. Most of Stephen Kings movie adaptations have not been successful in the box office barring films like”The Shining”, directed by the maverick Stanley Kubrick.

Though this is applicable to all genres, suspense thrillers are something that stokes the curiosity & intellect of the readers. We get enchanted by the characters, we see ourselves in the shoe of the characters and the sigh of relief once the lead solves the case/mystery is something that’s hard to describe! The vicarious pleasure we derive when the protagonist solves the case is probably hard to feel when someone else is donning that role. That’s something only a reader can relate to! So, when the novel gets translated in its visual form, we end up being dissatisfied, disenchanted and at times even aghast at the crude caricature that our imaginations have been subjected to.

I could recall a lot of films that were lost in translation or failed to connect with the audience because of being set in alien territory or films that were adapted from novels. For example, Thoongavanam, despite being a brilliantly made film (even better than its original Sleepless Nights) couldn’t register in the minds of the audience because of the outlandish setting something that an average Tamilian couldn’t relate to. Some other films in this genre that plummeted at the BO and couldn’t touch base with the audience despite being well made are – Puriyatha Puthir, Ethir Kaatru, Naalaya Manithan, Moondravadhu Kann, Andha Naal (the 90s starring Prem Menon), Nadunisi Naigal, and Nibunan etc.

Films those were successful in this genre were able to capture the imagination of the viewers were so often were rooted in the Tamil psyche. Not necessarily it should be set in the Tamil heartland though it would help in some way. Making the viewer’s immerse into the story by including certain cultural elements that are in proximity to their real life should be the top priority. Films that managed to achieve this were largely successful. A good example would be Mounam Sammatham, an underrated crime thriller from the early 90s.  It was picture perfect example of a whodunit Tamil movie with lots of quintessential regional elements that are important for the movie to resonate with the local audience – A murder, rural setting, rustic people, Amala (I mentioned because whatever that featured her was a runaway hit during that time), solid screenplay and top-notch music by Ilayaraja. Yup! Music plays a vital role in such genres. It shouldn’t too melodramatic or too jarring. It should convey the proceedings in a delicate manner. The movie was successful despite having a Mallu hero because of the above factors

For a better understanding, we can see the 1978 psycho thriller Sigappu Rojakkal directed by Bharathiraja and starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi. The film was made when Bharathiraja was mocked for being a village pumpkin that couldn’t make movies for the urban audience. He smashed all barriers with this wonderful movie. A vintage Kamal Haasan (way before his narcissistic trip that he’s on since the millennium) portrayed Dilip a psychotic serial killer, who rapes and kills women to avenge his traumatic childhood and his latest target is Sridevi, whom he marries. In an era where films were largely melodramatic, the film was a bag full of surprises with subtle performances all around. Though doesn’t come under whodunit genre as we know who’s the killer right at the beginning, the film was still able to connect with the audience because the trails and tribulations, a young Kamal Haasan undergoes was something most of us could relate to. Despite being taboo for that era, the film worked wonders at the BO. There are lots of movies which were successful post Sigappu Rojakkal. Movies like Nooravathu Naal, 24 Mani Neram, Mounam Sammatham,  Poovizhi Vasalile, Vettayadu Vilayadu, Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru to the latest Thadam deserve mention. I may have missed some, feel free to add. The point, I’m trying to emphasize is that these films were able to connect with the audience largely because the films were rooted in the culture of the respective eras, were in tune with the zeitgeist. Tamil cinema industry hasn’t been kind to films that were ahead of its time nor films that were stuck in a time warp. One more point to note is that those successful films were so far and few between. 

One must say when compared with the Malayalam movie industry which hasn’t shied away from this genre, Tamil cinema still has some distance to travel, has to break its self-imposed Laxman Rekha when it comes to experimenting with this particular genre. The opportunities are aplenty, all it requires is some acumen and some originality.