Viduthalai - Part 1 (2023)

Viduthalai - Part 1 (2023)

Directed by: Vetrimaaran
Starring: Soori, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vijay Sethupathi
No Spoilers.

Vetrimaaran Supremacy all over. This film made me feel like I'm a fearless person who is aware of what's happening around the world - just by watching the film. This film elevates your understanding of what's right and wrong, on par with an Asghar Farhadi film. And because of all of these, I feel like I've slightly evolved as a person after watching the film. The film throws us into this world right from the opening - and it's a poverty rid world - and yet with the way Vetrimaaran presents it - by showing us their lives, the food they eat, their routines - it almost feels like a different world we're getting into altogether. So there's strong usage of setting, and then there's strong usage of character too - the protagonist is a new cop who goes into this world - so it's almost like he's taking our POV and we see how he eventually becomes courageous. I love how the film is plotted - I think this film works wonderfully at a one-line order level itself - for the amount of progression that happens with each scene. And because of this, the film is extremely engaging. By the interval, I was shocked - because it felt like time just flew.

The film is as brutal as Visaaranai, but has the tinge of a well-made gangster/crime drama film too. The tone is a mix of Visaaranai and Vada Chennai - sometimes, it feels like we're watching real footage and we see larger than life characters and events happening in the film. I love how the heroes and the villains of the story are all part of the same world, intertwined with each other. With this film, I can see how you can shift the perspective of a character through the casting. You cast a hugely admired actor like Vijay Sethupathi - the audience will have some soft corner for that part even if it's a villain. Now if you have a character who's a rapist, or a serial killer without cause - you can't cast someone like him. I love how Vetrimaaran weaves his plot - where the setting, character, plot - all affect one another and none are neglected.