Viduthalai – Part 1 (Freedom) - #Tamil #GoldenVillage
TL;DR:Vetrimaran’s latest offering is a fresh breath of air in Tamil cinema whose oxygen has been sucked away by the high-octane (!) Vikrams, PS-1&2, Varisus and Thunivus.
Vetrimaran's Tamil film "#Viduthalai - Part 1" offers a fresh perspective on a familiar story of corporate greed and public resistance. Suri's performance as a police driver steals the show, but the film's slow pacing may test some viewers' patience. Worth a watch.
4/5
There are times during the movie that one felt like reaching out to the phone, but something keeps happening on the screen which prevented you from doing so!
The story is wafer-thin. Rich mineral deposits in the area. Bad corporates want to set up excavations. Locals oppose. Govt oppresses through police. Public retaliate through the expected ‘People’s Front’. Catch the boss. Stock Exchange Zindabad! The End.
Where Viduthalai differs is the perspective from which the story is told – Suri’s, who plays the hapless and lowly police driver, owns the role and more. One can discern the effort that he has put in to suppress the slapstick Suri of the old!
Apart from the police atrocities (yes, there are quite a bit of graphic ones; if Visaranai had the men suffering, here it is the women who bear the brunt!), the script has worked to induce a balance between what the establishment (led by Rajiv Menon as Chief Secretary) views – the scene where he explains how to play into the opposition’s hands up to a certain level, so that the ‘hard’ choices against the militants can be justified – it is as good a lesson in political science that any reputed university would teach!
Velraj's expert camerawork takes us on a journey through the misty mountains, utilizing a gloomy lighting that aptly reflects the film's overall mood. The single-shot bombed-train scene deserves a special mention. A for effort!
Music, composed by Ilaiyaraaja, is reminiscent of the style popularized in the 1980s. However, whether this musical style is suitable for a contemporary audience in 2023 is a moot point.
The supporting cast of Chetan (evil-and-ego-dripping CO), Gautham Menon (blow-hot-blow-cold superior officer), Vijay Sethupathi (not much to show off in this; perhaps in Part 2), Bhavain Sre (the smart-yet-innocent village belle) were adequate. Needless to say, they were all eclipsed comfortably by Suri.
The tailpiece of the movie with some Part 2 scenes is intriguing – yet you kind of know what would happen.
The pacing of the movie was a bit slow in parts, which gave it a documentary-like look and feel at times. Perhaps having watched numerous Malayalam movies since Covid has kind of inured us to the ennui and made us look forward to the next adrenaline rush. 
Tamil cinema tends to rely on a few familiar themes when attempting to experiment, mainly highlighting social issues (travails of farmers, casteism, exploring platonic relationships with a non-platonic lens, the high-handedness of the establishment etc.).
This latest offering from Vetrimaran may follow a similar template, but the meticulous writing and cinematography, developed over a period of 2+ years, ensure an engrossing work from the director's stable.
Will I say that it is better than Aadukalam and Visaranai? Perhaps not. But it is worth the money and time.
4/5
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