Review: Viduthalai 2

Film: Viduthalai 2
Director: Vetrimaran
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Soori, Rajeev Menon, Gautham Menon, Ken Karunas, Manju Warrier, Ilavarasu and others.
Music: Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematographer:R Velraj
Editor: R Ramar
Rating: 3 stars

Director Vetrimaran’s much-awaited Viduthalai 2 begins and ends on an intense note. However, the story turns preachy in the middle for a considerable period of time, making it come across as material meant for a promotional campaign for communism. ​Despite this drawback, the film has several aspects that ​are still worthy of being called exceptional.

The story continues from Viduthalai 1 but this time around, it does not focus on constable Kumaresan(Soori). Instead, the focus shifts to Karuppan aka Perumal Vaathiyar (Vijay Sethupathi)​ of the Makkal Padai.

The film explains how Perumal Vaathiyar, who is now a wanted naxal, was once a teacher who had faith in the administration. Perumal’s transformation into a crusader for people’s rights begins with the injustice meted out to a poor farm labourer Karuppan (Ken Karunas). The injustice suffered by the farm labourers makes you fume in anger and you feel their pain as yours.

Until this point, the film has your undivided attention. However, it is after this point that the director loses his focus and the story begins to change shades. We are shown how KK makes Perumal Vaathiyar a communist.

​And it is here that Vetrimaran​, who, until this point has managed to narrate the story in an unbiased fashion, sways. He tries to portray communism as the remedy to a society full of inequalities. In his urge to showcase communism in positive light, he bends backwards and on occasions, tries to defend even the indefensible acts of violence let loose by the cadres of Makkal Padai.

Take for instance a sequence where people from the Makkal Padai decide to blow up a railway track on a bridge. Mines are laid and the cadres lie in wait for the train to arrive. However, Vetrimaran would have us believe that the intention of the those who laid the mines were honourable. The bombs were kept to threaten the authorities and not to harm the public, we are told.

Vetrimaran would have us believe that the attack was the government’s fault as it did not act on the information given and not buy the fact that this was a cold blooded attack on the people by the Makkal Padai. He seeks to give a clean chit to those who laid the mines in the first place, by showing them as those who offer to help the injured in the bomb blast.

Not just this. The film also has problems with characterisation. For instance, there is confusion about what Makkal Padai leader Perumal Vaathiyaar’s take on violence is.

At one point, he is shown to be a believer in it. At another point, you get the impression that he has realised that violence is not the way to find a solution and has so given up on it. But then, as the story progresses, you see Perumal Vaathiyaar willingly accompanying his Makkal Padai cadres as they begin to fire on police personnel trying to surround him.

Highlights:
The second part of Viduthalai has some really fantastic sequences that must not be missed. Interestingly, it is not the lead characters that impress in these sequences but the film’s supporting cast that steals the limelight.

First among these is director Rajeev Menon who plays Chief Secretary Subramanian. The soft spoken director is just mind blowing as the senior bureaucrat. He plays the character with such ease that you instantly get drawn into the plot. Aiding him well are director Gautham Menon and actor Ilavarasu. Together, the trio are a treat to watch.

In fact, all the portions pertaining to the characters showing loyalty to the government are just perfect.

Apart from these actors, one other actor’s contribution stands out and that happens to be Ken Karunas, who plays the role of a farm labourer Karuppan. Ken Karunas’s commanding performance of the character makes you both admire the character on the one hand and at the same time, feel anger at the injustice meted out to him.

Drawbacks:
The film completely turns into a docu-drama from the time the characters of KK (Kishore) and Mahalakshmi (Manju Warrier) enter. Mahalakshmi’s so-called dialogues on women empowerment are often sexist. Of course, feminists will claim that such dialogues must not be described as sexist and that men who are “progressive” must welcome this misandry as “women empowerment”. Nevertheless, it is what it is. Misandry. As expected, these portions are terribly dreadful and test your patience.

Verdict:
In all, Viduthalai 2 is just a shade of Viduthalai 1, which was masterful and gripping. Nevertheless, it has its high points and cannot be missed.