Thiruttu Payale 2 (Tamil, 2017)

The idea behind Thiruttu Payale 2 is quite different from what was dealt with in Thiruttu Payale (both films written and directed by Susi Ganeshan) with only the acts of conning and a little bit of sensualism being carried forward. The premise lets the film stay relevant to its times asking some pertinent questions relating to safety and privacy in this era of exploding social media usage.

The trio of Bobby Simha, Prasanna & Amala Paul have meaty roles on offer and they seem to have made full use of the opportunity. The fine scene at the couple’s house where the three meet is a fitting sample. Prasanna (who was introduced by Susi in Five Star) gets an image-makeover and fits into the skin of his character quite impressively.

The film gives us a glimpse of the music that Vidyasagar was known for in his prime in 2000s – especially the background score has some smart touches (like the usage of the dead-body parade ding to signify an impending disaster).

Raja Mohammad’s taut editing keeps the thrills going as we head into the core of the film’s plot even as the portions on the couple’s flashback sticks out of the narrative.

The film takes a turn for the good only after a good few minutes are spent on taking us down a route that might make us seem we have landed ourselves in a film with an embarrassing sort of premise.

The film, for all the nice turns in the plot, doesn’t exactly end with a flourish. The climax gives a sharp déjà vu of Vaali (premise-wise comparable too, to an extent); Given the menacing looks and characterization given to Prasanna – he gets mobbed & punched a lot and peters out to a lowly finish at the end as well.