Manasula Written by Ilaiyaraaja Starring Ilaiyaraaja, Sanjay Subrahmanyan and Ananya Bhat
Story
It tells the story of Kumaresan who is recruited to arrest Perumal.. Viduthalai 2 is a film that could have been much more than what it actually is. Overall, it is a political film by Vetri Maaran, but much more narrative than its predecessor, which was a simpler story of a rookie cop, his profession and his moral dilemma on duty. If simplicity was the strength of the first film, its opposite is the villain in Viduthalai 2.
In fact, one could argue that this could have easily been made into a 7-8 episode web series
The second part continues from where it left off in the previous one and gives us exactly what was expected from the film, as teased in the climactic run of Viduthalai 1. Taking us through the journey of discovering ‘Vaathiyar aka Ghost’ and educating us on the intersection of politics, selfish needs and the revolution of the common man – it’s hard not to wonder what else the film could have been if it had been a web series. Despite solid cinematography, art direction and camera work, Viduthalai 2 leaves a lot to be desired by the time it ends. This would have potentially allowed Vetri Maarani to delve into the complexities of each character and give more room for the plot to grow.
The film, however, benefits, as expected, from strong character performances
It’s no secret that Vetri is one of the few filmmakers in Tamil cinema who has mastered the art of world building and exploring the deep grey areas of human emotions. Be it Vada Chennai, Asuran or even the mighty (literally!) Visaranai, his skill lies in elevating seemingly simple plots into masterpieces with sharp conflicts and unforgettable character sketches. In Viduthalai 2, you can see Vetri’s signature styles, but only briefly. This time around, it felt like the director focused more on delivering impact through preachy dialogues and serving up the revolution and communism on set to the audience.
It had all the ingredients for Vetri to create a new masterpiece
Vijay Sethupathi as ‘Vaathiya’ steals the show with his understated yet powerful performance. Special mentions go to Manju Warrier, Chetan, Kishore and Ken Karunas who played their roles convincingly. A big thank you also goes to the editor, who somehow managed to condense this film into a long running time. However, it is clear that for a film of such depth and scope, it could have benefited from a longer running time and deeper character development, as I said earlier.
, but instead it leaves us with a feeling that can best be described as ‘what could have been’
In the end, Viduthalai 2 feels like a crime drama series like Santhanakaadu for lack of a better example, missing the mark of what it could have been if it had been presented in a different format, with more time and space to explore.