When Vetrimaaran made Visaranai back in 2014, police brutality was still relatively unexplored, and therefore, the scenes depicting them were unsettling to watch. Almost a decade later, when the same director makes Viduthalai (a two-parter) with police brutality at its forefront, the impact feels lessened. This isn't owing to a lack of craft or plot setup. The very first single-shot sequence in the film is a stamp of brilliance. DOP Velraj takes us in and out of a trainwreck, making audiences wonder how seamlessly he navigates the milieu. We then move to Kumaresan's side of things, with Soori exhibiting remarkable restraint in a role that requires him to be forbearing, naive, and endearing without an ounce of his usual loudness.
Once the basic story idea is detailed (in the first 20 minutes) by Rajiv Menon's character, I quickly concluded that Vetri had to rely entirely on the craftsmanship of his on-and-off-screen crew to pull off something worthwhile. The writing is solid when it focuses on the tender romance between Kumaresan and Tamilarasi (Bhavani Sre) in the first half, building a very raw emotional connect while at it. The circumstances for love blossoming between the two are neatly sketched, and Ilaiyaraaja's score helps bring them to life. Kumaresan's perspective is also that of the audience's, but in between, the film takes us out of it to offer the larger picture, where politics, business, and hierarchy within the systems are exposed.
Again, this is one of those films where the "terrorists" are the good guys, whereas the barbaric cops (who rape womenfolk and beat up/shoot the menfolk) who hunt them, are the bad guys. The fluidly shot opening sequence is meant to make us hate the terrorists, but since we've seen this play out so many times, we know it's getting subverted later on. This whole narrative has run out of juice, but the few scenes that randomly feature Vijay Sethupathi's Perumal "Vaathiyaar", the leader of the People's Army, are fiery. The sequel teaser at the end seems like it sheds a lot more light on Perumal's side of the story, making the eventual payoff a lot better. Here, we just get to know him in bits and pieces, and as is the case with most revolutions, it all begins with something deeply personal which then escalates into a community-wide issue.
The second half of Part: 1 suffers from being a bit disjointed (the editing is bizarre at times), emotionally lacking, and showcasing an overdose of cop violence. A few Karnans and Jai Bhims later, cop brutality comes across as an excuse to put the protagonist in a wavering situation where he has to make dangerous choices. It does help that the punishments that Kumaresan is subjected to throughout the film by his senior officer, breaks his shell of innocence and provokes him to fight back. Viduthalai simply feels like a story that requires better detailing for the antagonist, and while that's definitely going to be delivered in Part II, it also makes the ending of Part I seem like temporary closure. Also, did Vetri rewrite some dialogues before they were dubbed? I mention this because there are at least a handful of scenes where the lipsync is completely off (especially when Rajiv Menon or Gautham Menon are involved).
P. S - I'm just hoping Part II comes soon enough, unlike Vada Chennai 2!
P. P. S - I couldn't help but wonder how SaNa would've handled the score in those scenes where GVM and his team of cops attack and torture an entire village!
Once the basic story idea is detailed (in the first 20 minutes) by Rajiv Menon's character, I quickly concluded that Vetri had to rely entirely on the craftsmanship of his on-and-off-screen crew to pull off something worthwhile. The writing is solid when it focuses on the tender romance between Kumaresan and Tamilarasi (Bhavani Sre) in the first half, building a very raw emotional connect while at it. The circumstances for love blossoming between the two are neatly sketched, and Ilaiyaraaja's score helps bring them to life. Kumaresan's perspective is also that of the audience's, but in between, the film takes us out of it to offer the larger picture, where politics, business, and hierarchy within the systems are exposed.
Again, this is one of those films where the "terrorists" are the good guys, whereas the barbaric cops (who rape womenfolk and beat up/shoot the menfolk) who hunt them, are the bad guys. The fluidly shot opening sequence is meant to make us hate the terrorists, but since we've seen this play out so many times, we know it's getting subverted later on. This whole narrative has run out of juice, but the few scenes that randomly feature Vijay Sethupathi's Perumal "Vaathiyaar", the leader of the People's Army, are fiery. The sequel teaser at the end seems like it sheds a lot more light on Perumal's side of the story, making the eventual payoff a lot better. Here, we just get to know him in bits and pieces, and as is the case with most revolutions, it all begins with something deeply personal which then escalates into a community-wide issue.
The second half of Part: 1 suffers from being a bit disjointed (the editing is bizarre at times), emotionally lacking, and showcasing an overdose of cop violence. A few Karnans and Jai Bhims later, cop brutality comes across as an excuse to put the protagonist in a wavering situation where he has to make dangerous choices. It does help that the punishments that Kumaresan is subjected to throughout the film by his senior officer, breaks his shell of innocence and provokes him to fight back. Viduthalai simply feels like a story that requires better detailing for the antagonist, and while that's definitely going to be delivered in Part II, it also makes the ending of Part I seem like temporary closure. Also, did Vetri rewrite some dialogues before they were dubbed? I mention this because there are at least a handful of scenes where the lipsync is completely off (especially when Rajiv Menon or Gautham Menon are involved).
P. S - I'm just hoping Part II comes soon enough, unlike Vada Chennai 2!
P. P. S - I couldn't help but wonder how SaNa would've handled the score in those scenes where GVM and his team of cops attack and torture an entire village!