When Kathir loses his father due to a heart attack, the body of his father is taken by the family of his father’s first wife. Even though Kathir reluctantly allows this to happen, his step-brother is infuriated that his brother has not even been allowed to touch the dead body of their father. When his step-brother humiliates his maternal uncle by bringing Kathir into their house, violence erupts.
Language:
Tamil
Running Time:
139 mins
Rating:
U
Release date:
25 December 2013
Directed by:
Vikram Sugumaran
Produced by:
G. V. Prakash Kumar
Written by:
Vikram Sugumaran
Starring:
Kathir
Oviya
Jayaprakash
Vela Ramamoorthy
Viji Chandrasekhar
Anju
Music by:
N. R. Raghunanthan
Shot by:
Ragul Dharuman
Editing by:
Kishore Te.
Distributed by:
GV Prakash Kumar Productions

What’s Hot

  • Kathir, as the film’s protagonist Parthiban, suits the role of a Madurai youth to a T. His dialect and body-language while delivering serious dialogues are excellent.
  • Viji Chandrasekhar as the first wife is a class apart. She emotes well and performs admirably in the second half. Her dialogue delivery especially when speaking to her brother is impeccable.
  • The director is spot-on with his casting of the supporting characters. Kathir’s lawyer uncle who supports him, his step-brother and his maternal uncle add a lot of value and authenticity to the script with their stupendous performances.
  • N. R. Raghunanthan’s, being from Theni himself, brings out the nativity in the form of a scintillating background score that sets the tone of the film. The well-picturized songs have been positioned well and do not act as speed-breakers. The realistic stunts have been choreographed brilliantly by Rock Prabhu. Rahul’s camera work during the song sequences and scenes within the house catch the eye.
  • Credit to the director, Vikram Sugumaran, for having the guts to spin a story out of a native custom called Seimurai in his very first film. Hats off to G.V.Prakash for allowing the director to stay true to the story by refraining from inserting any item numbers/cheap comedy tracks.

What’s Not

  • Although the second half keeps the viewer engaged for the most part, the lack of intelligence in the script brings the film down ultimately. For a film that has been certified U, the violence is excessive especially in the climax.
  • Even though the love-track has been handled better than numerous other Madurai-based films, Oviya is grossly underused and her screen-space is very limited. Also, the hero Kathir has scope for improvement specifically in the romantic sequences.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

A gutsy film that oozes nativity chronicles the quest for revenge with a riveting first half and an average second half.