Vetrimaaran is known for his hard-hitting films. His films Aadukalam, Visaranai and Asuran won national awards. His film Viduthalai Part 1 which was released last month got rave reviews. Now the film's Telugu version is releasing on 15 April 2023. The film is a period drama based on the short story Thunaivan written by Jeyamohan. The film's OTT rights have been bagged by Zee 5 and streaming will be done after the end of its theatrical run. The film has a star cast of Vijay Sethupathi, and Gautham Menon and let us find out what impact Vidudhala made on viewers.
Vidudala story is all about human values, conscience, police brutality, and injustice. Ragavender (Chetan), the Officer in charge, of E Company ill, treats new recruit, Constable Kumaresan (Soori) after he disobeys his orders while saving needy villagers.
In the meantime, Special Task Force is formed by the government's higher officials comprising of A. Subramaniyan(Rajiv Menon), Chief Secretary, Ilavarasu(Ilavarasu), Minister of Public Works to nab the dreaded Naxalite Perumal "Master" (Vijay Sethupathi) after the train bombing.
Where the Operation Ghost Hunt headed by Sunil Menon (Gautham Menon) leads to and what role Kumaresan plays and how Paapa (Bhavani Sre) connected to form the crux of the story.
Soori who is known for his hilarious, light-hearted roles underwent a remarkable transformation in the role of the constable. In fact, he lived in the role and viewers immediately get connected to his character as he is spellbound by his expressions, emotions, body language, and dialogue delivery. The way he played the subdued role and then shows his intensity in enacting deadly stunts attracts everyone.
Female lead Bhavani Sre got a performance-oriented role and she justified it with her intent. She displayed good emotions and complimented Soori. Both with their performances elevated the scenes taking the film to another level.
Vijay Sethupathi makes an impression with his subtle entry and though he is not shown clearly, he makes an impact increasing the curiosity and interest levels over the second part promising a deadly confrontation during the climax. Rajiv Menon and Gautam Menon showed the authority required for the government's higher officials.
Vidudhala story by Vetrimaaran has all the ingredients that are his trademark. The story backdrop is set in the 1980s and the ill-treatment and misdeeds of the police officials, all have Vetrimaaran's previous films. Watching the narration and plot, one remembers Vetrimaaran's earlier film Visaranai in which he highlighted police brutality. Even one remembers Taanaakaran directed by Tamizh, who is the co-director of the film.
Vetrimaaran starts the narration in an intense manner with the bombings and then goes into the detailing of various characters and this generates interest among movie lovers. He highlighted the government side and the way encounters are sensationalized. The character arc of Soori is beautifully done and the people revolving around them have been shown in an effective way.
Vetrimaaran narrated the story in an interesting manner through Soori's perspective and how he thinks the police force to be the right one an later finds out the startling facts. In between Vetrimaaran touched the haves and the have-nots and the caste divide in society. Vetrimaaran got the optimum out of Soori and Bhavani Sre but a lesser screen presence to Vijay Sethupathi may disappoint his fans. The story is nothing new and Vetrimaaran tried to turn it intense and hard-hitting with his screenplay and direction.
Ilaiyaraaja with his background music recreated the 1980s atmosphere in a beautiful manner. His background music takes movie lovers into the story. However one gets a feeling that at times he overdid it. Velraj's cinematography turned the narration captivating showcasing the mountains and other locales in a realistic and gripping way. Editing of Ramar could have been better as at times the pace dipped slowing the proceedings. The production of RS Entertainment is good.
Altogether, Vidudala is a hard-hitting brutal film. Vetrimaaran who directed Vidudala once again came out with a riveting film showcasing caste differentiation, police brutality, government vs Naxal ideologies, the sufferings of the common people who get crushed between police and Naxal war, and whatnot. However, this time he toned down the depiction of police brutality while depicting the atrocities of women being turned naked and other violent scenes to some extent. For all the impactful story, as Vetrimaaran followed his trademark elements, viewers aren't offered anything new. He treated a similar path with his story, screenplay, and direction. Considering all these aspects, Cinejosh goes with a 2.5 rating for Vidudala.