Tag Archives: Tamil Movie Reviews

This summer is a real treat for fans of Tamil culture, as they’re in for two back-to-back period dramas within a week’s time.

The interesting twist is that Dharani Rajendran’s ambitious venture, Yaathisai comes with a modest budget, an unknown producer, and several debutant actors, telling the story of the Pandyan and Einar clans.

On the other side, we have a highly anticipated Ponniyin Selvan -2 by a renowned director, a team of experts, LYCA productions and a star-studded cast, including Karthi, Vikram, and Aishwarya Rai, who delve into the Chola Kingdom.

Yaathisai: A Compelling Period Drama on a Budget

If you’re short on time, here’s the gist:

Director Dharani Rajendran has shown that crafting a compelling period drama doesn’t require a massive budget, famous stars, or a team of experts – all it takes is a vision.

That vision is evident in Yaathisai, and as a filmiholic, I wholeheartedly appreciate the effort. I believe you should experience this in theatres and encourage such commendable attempts.

Dharani Rajendran: Hidden Talent of the Tamil Film Industry

Yaathisai is truly a refreshing period drama that stands out and serves as a lesson for big-budget period dramas. Directed by Dharani Rajendran, this film showcases the hidden potential of the Tamil film industry.

Yaathisai takes us back in time, where the Einar clan fights the powerful Pandiyan kingdom.

In my opinion, the film was marketed incorrectly, as it seems less focused on Pandian warriors and more on the underdog tale of the Einar clan.

Powerful Performances and Technical Excellence

The director’s extensive research is evident throughout the movie, keeping audiences engaged from start to finish.

The lead actors, Seyon as Kodhi and Shakti Mithran as the Pandiyan king Ranadheeran, deliver powerful performances that breathe life into the story. In one word, their performances are raw-rustic and loud.

The technical team also deserves praise for creating a world that looks and feels real. The movie gradually picks up its pace, slowly taking us into the world of Yaathisai.

I truly appreciate the action choreography; the fight scenes are intense and make you feel like you’re part of the action.

Of course, the movie isn’t perfect. Sometimes the special effects take away from the story, but that can be considered given the budget constraints.

In the second half, the pacing could be better. After the interval punch, it moves through some melodrama and the marriage scene reminds me of Santhosh Shivan’s Asoka. There are some slow-paced melodramatic moments in the second half, but the movie picks up its action soon.

Finally, enhancing the dubbing and sound effects could elevate the movie further, especially during the forest sequence and ambush event, which could provide an even better theatre experience with a bit more effort in the sound department.

Why I Love Yaathisai

Yaathisai shows that you don’t need a lot of money or famous actors to make a great historical drama. You just need a team that’s passionate and creative.

In conclusion, Yaathisai is a must-watch for fans of period dramas and anyone looking for a fresh, raw-rustic movie experience. Dharani Rajendran’s bold attempt is a great example of what Tamil cinema can do. So get your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the world of Yaathisai – Just like Baahubali, PS-1, Yaathisai also has a second part; it’s just the beginning.

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Vetrimaran’s Latest Release Sheds Light on India’s Oppressive System

In India, where the colonial hangovers still loom, we need more directors like VetriMaran who create films that shed light on bureaucratic atrocities in our society. Tamil films, such as Visarai, Vilangu, and Writer, are examples of movies that explore such issues. Viduthalai is the recent addition.

The Need for Viduthalai : A Hope

Over 30 Israeli Air Force pilots recently refused to participate in training or reserve duty as a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reforms. If more people acted ethically and humanised rather than blindly following laws on paper, our world could have been better.

Think about Russian soldiers protesting against Putin’s fascist and uncongenial decisions to invade another country.
Think about all our police constables refusing to work like a maid (more like a slave I should say) at IPS officers home.

I hope at least some of you remember how human right activist Father Stan Swamywho died while he was in judicial custody in Taloja jail.

I believe, changes may not happen soon, we need to wait for another generation to eradicate the GOI Act 1935 and its colonial hangovers. But these movies may act as a catalyst for those changes.

Viduthalai’s Gripping Storyline and Setting

Vetrimaran’s latest release, Viduthaalai shed light on India’s bureaucratic system, which is infamous for its hierarchical slavery and political nepotism.

Viduthaali, set in 1987 in a remote forest village, portrays a community of oppressed people, rebels, and a subservient police force conditioned to follow orders led by a treacherous, sadistic, perversive commanding officer (Chethan).

The movie starts with a gory extended single-shot sequence of a train bombing.

Then we follow Kumaraesan (Soori), an innocent man who starts work as a driver and cook in that police camp at the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.

With Kumaresan as our POV character, we understand the nuances of police operations, atrocities, sufferings of low rank officials.

Then we have the mysterious Perumal (Vijay Sethupathi), who is fighting against a proposed mining project.

Stellar Performances and Unique Casting Choices

When it comes to the performances in Viduthaalai, everyone did an outstanding job. I believe the whole credit should goes to Vetrimaaran’s outside the box casting choices.

Gautham Menon, who glorified cop-killing in his movies, plays a brutal cop.

Soori portrays the central character with a magnificent makeover.

Bhawani Sri, who played a small role in Ka Pae Ranasingam, plays a village girl and love interest for Kumaresan (Soori).

Even Rajeev Menon’s performance as a Principal Secretary is subtle and elegant.

Vijay Sethupathi appears in only a few moments in the film. Still he may give you goosebumps with his classy ‘mass’ performances and that one-liner in the climax was epic.

Soulful Music and Captivating Cinematography

Viduthalai is packed with many raw and hard-hitting moments, but it also sprinkled with some emotional-romantic moments. In both cases, Ilaiyaraaja’s soulful tunes elevate the emotions. His music is not loud but is subtle and prudent enough to leave an impact.

R Velraj’s cinematography effectively take us to the world of Viduthalai, with unshowy visuals of forest terrains, single-shot visuals in the introduction, and documentary-style realism in the frames.

Viduthalai is a great film backed by a talented team on and off-screen.

Why We should clap for Viduthaalai: Relevance in 2023

Although the movie is set in 1987, it remains relevant today. Police atrocities against SC/ST communities remain prevalent in many areas of India.

I hope you are aware of Police atrocities in Wayanad, where Attappadi tribal head claimed that Kerala police were taking revenge as they fought against the land mafia.

If you think Chethan’s portrayal of the film’s commanding officer is unrealistic, consider a real-life incident where a police officer in Wayand subjected a 16-year-old girl to violence.

Shockingly, the punishment given to the officer by the system was just a “Suspension order”. Is that really justice for the young girl?

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The  rivalry between a daring cop and a brutal gangster is a cliched one-line, but what makes it thrilling is how the team brings the audience closer to the characters’ world or how the cat & mouse events unfold.

Pathu Thala is crafted using the same one-line, and Pathu Thala, delivers a mixed bag of emotions, drama, and entertainment. Read on to find out if it’s worth the watch.

Plot Overview

Set against the backdrop of Kanyakumari, Pathu Thala revolves around an undercover agent, Guna (Gautham Karthik), who infiltrates a mafia group led by AGR (Silambarasan) to locate a missing Chief Minister (Santhosh Prathap). Though the genre demands tense and fast-paced moments, the movie gets diluted with dramatic rain shots, clichéd romantic sequences, and Thankachi paasam(sister-bro sentiments). Thankfully Director Obeli Krishna didn’t add any mother sentiments.

Comparisons to Mufti

Director Obeli Krishna claims that Pathu Thala is an adaptation, not a remake, of Mufti. However, the resemblance is striking. I believe he should watch the Hong Kong movies ‘Internal Affairs’ and ‘Departed, which will be perfect examples of adaptation. Here, I strongly feel like Pathu Thalla is a remake of The Mufti.

Character Sketch: White Pathu Thala

AGR and his team used to carry a copy of the Kamba Ramayananam, maybe because of the R in AGR, which stands for Ravanan. This is where the script disappointed me more; the script demands a grey or a black character, bad luck; Atman is in spiritual transformation, I guess.

AGR is a white character here, and the melodrama that whitening AGR brought spoiled the mood of the film in the second half. That Black to White character arc was a reminder of the real Ravana from the Ramayana. How Ravana gets the white shades in contemporary literature.

Performances

Silambarasan TR carries the entire film on his shoulders, supported by AR Rahman’s music.

Gautham Karthik does a decent job, but his characterization could have been more powerful in the second half.

Director Krishna has always ensured the female characters in his movies are powerful, be it Sillinu, Kadhal, or Nedunchaalai, but I was curious how he was going to portray Priya Bhavani & Anu Sithara here.

Priya Bhavani Shankar gets a substantial role in the first half but fades away as a mere romantic interest later on. Anu Sithara has nothing to do much, and even she couldn’t deliver the emotional output that a few scenes demand.

Gautham Menon started with a heavy aura, but, in the climax, he just vanished in the shadow of STR’s terrific performances.

Technical Aspects

The film’s technical elements, such as AR Rahman’s music and Farooq’s cinematography, skillfully elevate the flat moments. For instance, the scene where Guna enters AGR’s world, accompanied by Rahman’s background music, is particularly thrilling. Similarly, the interval block is a high octane moment for fans. With A R Rahman music, Farooq’s visuals and STR-Gautam Karthick charismatic performances are just like a blended cocktail.

Audience Appeal & Box office Potential

Pathu Thala has the ingredients for a family entertainer, but it may disappoint those expecting a rampage. Marketed as a “neo-noir action thriller” or an Atman STR Sambhavam (Rampage), the film is actually a semi-action thriller with a significant dose of family drama.

With a budget of ₹50 crore and running at around 400 screens, Pathu Thala has the potential to give a hat-trick to STR. The Satellite Rights (ZEE Tamil) of ₹12.50 crore and OTT rights (Amazon Prime) of ₹13 crore add to its appeal.

Conclusion

During the trailer and audio launch of Ponniyin Selvan 2, where Simbu appeared as the chief guest, he was greeted with enthusiastic cheers of “Pathu Thala” from thousands of fans. It’s quite rare to witness fans attending an audio launch to show support for a movie and cheering for another movie. Simbu enjoys such a loyal fan following; however, it seems he has yet to find the perfect script that can truly harness his star power. 

Pathu Thala offers a decent watch for STR fans & family audiences but falls short of being a gripping action thriller. Thus Obeli Krishna may fail to satisfy STR’s hunger for a heavy blockbuster.

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