Sethupathi (Tamil, 2016)

Despite the critical acclaim, Pannaiyarum Padminiyum did not set the box office alight. It seems Arunkumar has come back with a vengeance to prove how comfortable he is in making a commercial venture & his unique take on how to play to the gallery. His screenplay does wonders to a normal knot throwing up bluffs & double-bluffs with elan keeping us thoroughly hooked. The maturity in the dialogues is surprising given that this is quite a young team. There are many of them that hit you at the most unexpected moments spurring the audience to roar in approval.

No actor can be certified to possess the so-called Midas touch, yet Vijay Sethupathi is perhaps the one in the current generation who comes closest to it. So much so that even if disastrous ventures like Rummy he shines in his space. Having done mostly roles that emphasize on comedy, his metamorphosis into that of a serious cop here is fantastic. He owns the screen & brings that ‘X’ Factor in his own way to the cop role without resorting to shouting or ‘punch’ dialogues.

The prime antagonist Vela Ramamoorthy is excellent in his space never fitting into the conventional villain character. His dialogue sheet for the whole film must not even be more than one page but the fact that we remember him even after film is reflective of his class. Vivek Prasanna who plays his prime henchman is a riot on screen. Similarly, Linga who delighted us in the short film Tanglish plays the right foil to Sethupathi handling the comic & serious portions with equal ease. The other cops too have been perfectly casted & bring the necessary realism to the Police station.

After a spectacular debut in Thegidi Nivas sort of faded into oblivion not signing any projects. But like Arun it looks he has been biding his time to come with the right project and he delights us with his riveting background score that play a vital part in upping the ante during the confrontational scenes. His songs too have been used rather nicely gelling with the flow of the film. The way ‘Hey Mama’ was initially used for the antagonist & only then for the protagonist shows the focus that the team had in matching both sides equally.

The stunts department have worked exceedingly well in tandem with the master editor Sreekar Prasad & cinematographer Dinesh. They have the apt impact without ever going over-the-top. You can rest assured that there will be no bouncing men & flying cars in spite of this being a cop story.

Finally, it is refreshing to see a cop not resorting to smoking or drinking to empower their screen presence. Perhaps it is the Vijay Sethupathi factor that magnetically pulls you to him. Similarly, it has been the norm to show at least the antagonist (or at least his henchmen) indulging in a drink or a smoke. But Arun has even managed to buck that trend by making his ‘Vaathiyaar’ worship God with reverence & the henchmen being rendered funny by just a dialogue from the protagonist.

One has to admit that in spite of the lighting there are many occasions when the shiny make-up on Vijay Sethupathi’s face shows blatantly. Also, the family angle though necessary is sort of cheesy making an A-center audience squirm impatiently in their seats. However on the defense of the team, it can be said it provides a necessary speed-breaker to the otherwise serious plot.

The biggest grouse with this film is perhaps the so called ‘Clean U Certificate’ bestowed on it by our Censor Board. In a film, where men are burnt alive, where kids handle guns, where cops travel without a helmet, it is absolutely ridiculous to see the movie being certified fit to be watched by all without restraint.