Viduthalai Half 2 film assessment: Vijay Sethupathi powers Vetrimaaran’s sprawling revolutionary saga that wanted extra steadiness | Film-review Information

We now have usually seen movies about why somebody determined to change into a cop or a bureaucrat and attempt to change the system and catch the ‘unhealthy man.’ Nonetheless, with Viduthalai, Vetrimaaran factors out that the system is aware of to crush its dissidents. The complete state’s may goes into deciding who the ‘unhealthy man’ is for its personal sustenance. Whereas that is definitely an overarching theme of the movie, Viduthalai 2 is actually concerning the tumultuous lifetime of Vaathiyaar, who learns, unlearns, learns, unlearns, and learns some extra as he tries to make sense of the always evolving society that’s more and more apathetic.

Vijay Sethupathi performs Perumaal Vaathiyaar in Viduthalai Half 2.

This strategy of studying and unlearning takes up a lot of Viduthalai 2’s runtime that it feels much less natural and extra preachy. They are saying every little thing we do in life is revolution, and Vetrimaaran moulds Vaathiyaar in such a manner that there’s hardly a second the place he will get to sit down down, take a breath, and truly mirror. He’s usually proven shifting from one battle to a different, with the size getting larger and greater. After his seize by the E-company, the cops shift his base to a forest, and it’s on this journey that he narrates his personal journey to the squad accompanying him. A journey that modified one wonderful day when he’s witness to a casteist oppressor displaying the may of the system in opposition to a wronged neighborhood. And these parts, that includes a terrific Ken Karunaas and a rousing Ilaiyaraaja rating besides, is among the highlights of the movie. It additionally exhibits how Viduthalai 2 turns into one thing a lot larger when the main target is not only on Vaathiyaar. Nonetheless, it additionally turns into all over, and is extra inform than present.

Since it’s by means of the questions of the younger police squad that he provides insights about his personal life, there’s a non-linear narrative that comes up, which sadly, leaves us with extra questions. Then, there may be the idea of the unreliable narrator that finds its manner, which could appear to be it solutions every little thing, however doesn’t do sufficient to remove the confusion. However what may be very clear is that Viduthalai is a story of a revolution that takes totally different colors because it evolves with time. And this story unfolds by means of Vaathiyaar even when Half 1 made you comply with the story of Kumaresan (Soori). Merely put, Viduthalai is Vaathiyaar.

Vetrimaaran does a quite attention-grabbing factor by overlapping the voiceovers of Kumaresan, Vaathiyaar, and precise dialogues within the movie. Nonetheless, this concept overstays its welcome, particularly attributable to Vetrimaaran’s disdain for lip-sync. With dialogues clearly being added within the dubbing studio, one stays at an arm’s size from the strains just because it’s distracting. What makes it much more unsettling is that Viduthalai 2 is a quite verbose movie. There may be quite a lot of discuss concerning the want for unionising, making a steadiness within the overwhelming energy imbalance, and naturally, societal ills masquerading as tradition and custom. However these are fleeting in a movie that wanted extra focus. As an example, when Vaathiyar will get married to Mahalakshmi (Manju Warrier), they’re suggested about what it takes to have a contented marriage. And them all through the movie, we perceive that the happiness is unquestionably there. Nonetheless, this hardly will get translated as an emotion, as a result of each the characters are saddled with scenes which are both dialogue-heavy or generic. Additionally, the overwhelming deal with Vaathiyaar sidelines Mahalakshmi, who is kind of the firebrand. It’s not to say that this relationship or its improvement just isn’t poignant, it’s simply that it isn’t poignant sufficient.

Vijay Sethupathi, Manju Warrier play revolutionaries and a romantic couple in
Viduthalai 2.

What Vetrimaaran will get completely proper is the characters that inhabit the world of Vaathiyaar when he’s in police custody. The menacing Raghavender (a terrific Chethan) is elevated by his unpredictability. The identical holds good for Kumaresan and different junior cops who’re on this journey to grasp that the world just isn’t usually binary. Nonetheless, the pressure in stretching a singular thought past the purpose of elasticity is seen in these scenes. The narrative is peppered with a number of detours, together with ones involving Chief Secretary Subramaniyan (Rajiv Menon), Minister Ilavarasu (Ilavarasu), and the Collector (Saravana Subbiah). There may be additionally one involving political discourse and the cameo of Anurag Kashyap. Whereas some add a sardonic undercurrent of humour or makes us perceive how the voices of dissent are courageous regardless of understanding the implications, some others simply really feel repetitive. Now, the thought isn’t the issue, however the repetition of it. This takes away the main target from what actually Viduthalai 2 is all about.

Actually, Viduthalai 2 is a principally grim movie that drives dwelling the burden of a call, and the burden of selecting a path. It’s a resolution that Vetrimaaran additionally took when he determined to make this film right into a two-parter. Now, there could be countless debates on whether or not this was warranted within the first place, however that is the movie, or quite movies that we bought, and properly… there’s a sense of dilution that pervades the movie, particularly within the character of Kumaresan. He’s extra of a bystander within the film, and it’s on the impression of the primary half that we’re satisfied by his actions within the second.

Additionally, one other level of comparability between the 2 movies is how the institutional violence just isn’t as pronounced because it was in Half 1, Viduthalai 2 opts to make use of razor sharp dialogues to ship the identical impression. The nonchalance of the system is as appalling because the blatant refusal of the identical system to rescue the oppressed, and assist their rehabilitation. It additionally touches upon the utilization of violence in such revolutionary acts, and does the unenviable job of constructing a story that questions the necessity for harmless deaths, not simply within the arms of the system, but in addition Vaathiyaar and Co. However the film by no means forgets to level out that the core motive for any of this to occur is easy systemic apathy. In immediately’s context, it will get extra scary as a result of that is commonplace.

Vijay Sethupathi surrounded by cops lead by Gautham Vasudev in a scene from Viduthalai 2

If the primary half began off with a bang, the second half ends with one. Each scenes encapsulate the concepts of revolution, the necessity for political consciousness, and the way, on the finish of the day, it’s all about how far the system is pressured to go to keep up its higher hand. Each are long-drawn set-pieces that required the most effective from each division, together with the performances, cinematography by Velraj, the sunshine and sound design, and the top-notch writing. Vetrimaaran ensures that the ultimate act is structured like a managed demolition. There may be the fixed stress, the anonymous deaths, a labyrinth-like maze the place silence and Ilaiyaraaja handle the remaining. Seeing the police and ‘Makkal padai’ (Individuals’s military) take pleasure in a shoot out, you’re reminded of the futility of all of it. “Who’s preventing in opposition to whom for what?” asks Soori. It’s responded with a straight ahead, “We don’t know. Simply shoot.” That is the proper manner of summing up the movie about individuals preventing for a trigger, and folks preventing as a result of they’ve been requested to.

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The movie doesn’t mince phrases in its political stance, and raises an vital and loud voice concerning the want for educating, organising and agitating. It’s great how Vaathiyaar’s ideologies goes by means of varied layers of self-introspection, and it additionally poses a number of pertinent inquiries to any organized group. Will rigidity sound the dying knell for any revolution? How will we resolve on the suitable technique of revolution? Can anybody truly change into a pacesetter? Why does the system at all times help the oppression? Ought to we actually keep away from the system? Even when these 5 questions discover their manner into varied factors of the narrative, Viduthalai 2 isn’t focused on giving easy and life like solutions. It merely says… Suppose. And isn’t that simply the hardest factor to do?

Viduthalai Half 2 Film Overview: Vijay Sethupathi, Soori, Chethan, Manju Warrier
Viduthalai Half 2 Film Director: Vetrimaaran
Viduthalai Half 2 Film Score: 3 stars