sethupathi: another cop film, but its vijay sethupathi as the cop
Ramya Nambeesan, Vijay Sethupathi in Sethupathi Movie Photos
Hello Friends,
It is evident that Vijay Sethupathi has come of age! He is no longer that small time actor who happened to have a few hits with just a bunch of words (paaa, ennaachu and Kumudha happy Annachi). He knows his job; he can handle any role with ease and can carry the entire film on his strong shoulders. And it is certainly heartwarming to see real talent coming under the spotlight, specially when it does not have any father/brother/family producer backing.
As mentioned in several reviews, a cop film for any actor worth his salt is an important milestone and so is this film for Vijay Sethupathi. He makes the most of this opportunity and comes across as a demanding and an intelligent policeman who scares both colleagues and criminals alike. It is indeed a big relief to see that this film does not have any Tasmac brawls, unwanted belly button showing dancers, contrived comedy tracks nor songs in exotic locales just because it is nice to have one. Overall a very clean family entertainer with interesting twists and turns, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Plot:
From time immemorial we have seen these kinds of straight forward police men being cornered by the local don. And this film also subscribes to this formula, BUT there are a set of happenings that make you sit up and closely watch how Sethupathi is going to emerge successful from this mess of a situation. Sethupathi fires a shot from his gun by mistake and a young boy almost dies, and the local don is behind this episode because of a personal vendetta between Sethupathi and him. Suspension, almost losing his promotion and getting arrested are all part of the events that follow the misguided firing. But the way he handles these trying situations and how he plays the events in his mind and recollects what went wrong and where is indeed brilliant.
A loving family forms the backdrop for this cop and how he juggles both work and family and ensures their safety as well as their happiness is also the crux. Specially the scene where he counsels his family over a phone call to the handle the local thugs who attack his house is funny and intriguing. Of course there are scenes which are downright ridiculous and typically cinema stuff, but Sethupathi never allows you to mull over it as there he is at the helm of affairs and grabbing your attention.
Costumes:
Cop outfit suits Vijay Sethupathi well, and the actor is certainly paying attention to his costume department. As we see him in nice linen shirts in bright colors. And Ramya Nambeesan as the young wife is dressed in simple salwars and sarees. Outside of this there are only policemen and thugs who are ofcourse in their garish shirts.
Décor:
The police station looks real and old and the home looks nice and middle class.
Acting:
Full marks to Ramya Nambeesan as well, as she is the perfect foil to the tough cop. She is convincing in her portrayal as the pouting wife much in love with her husband. The kids who play as Vijay Sethupathi’s children are lovely and charming. Vijay Sethupathi’s fair assistant who supports his boss’s every move has done a superb job. He reminds us of the Kahani young cop who accompanies Vidya Balan everywhere. The local don comes across menacingly enough and the bored policemen as part of the police station crew look sufficiently scared and in awe of their boss. All the characters have slipped into their roles well and nowhere do we see any contrived acting. Hats off to the casting!
Useful Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sethupathi_(film)
http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/khaki-conundrums/article8280614.ece
Pictures sourced from the Internet
Cheers
Bhuvana Rajaram
