Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2

Veera Dheera Sooran (2025)

Finally a serious Thriller from Tamil cinema, without any of those commercial Tamil cinema aesthetics, starring one of the great actors of this generation, Vikram.

Set within the events of single night, the story follows a retired henchman Kaali, who was forced to save his former crime boss's son from a police encounter.

Written and directed by S U ArunKumar under the banner of HR Pictures, helmed by Malayalam producer Riya, "Veera Dheera Sooran" is grounded in gritty reality, adopting a slow-burn tone reminiscent of Rajeev Ravi's films.

Without the typical commercial Tamil cinema elements, no songs, no intro, no slow motions, no theme music, no stylish edits, this is the closest a commercial Tamil film comes to pushing the boundaries of the thriller genre.

With great camera works, unsettling background score, and edgy screenplay, this is thriller Tamil cinema at it's finest.

Negatives - Suraj, a Tamil actor would have shinned in that role. Suraj was totally uncomfortable giving that authentic Tamil body language as well as dialogue delivery, that was a failed attempt. And the Female lead, totally a miscast and totally annoying portrayal.

Postives - Direction, Tone of the movie, G V Prakash's haunting score, and the whole technical crew for pulling off this grounded thriller. And also, Vikram Sir, what a performance, as a family man and as the loyal henchman. Hats off to him, for maintaining such a 35 year old looking physique at this age of 58.

In action scenes and emotional scenes, this man is legend. Seen many Swag moments from number of Heroes doing police station scenes. But this particular movie drools everything, never seen such a high impact police station scene in my life.

On top of it, during the climax portion, when the movie was going in the tone of a Rajiv Ravi thriller, suddenly we get a surprise nostalgic throw in the third act. Literally cried hearing "Madurai Veeran" song from 'Dhool', wow what a trip. Clapped, whistled, made my day.

Even such a high moment, the director didn't shoot it slow motion, he didn't even the blow off the air to heroes face to creat that iconic look. Without putting commercial elements even in action sequence, the director grounded the movie in such extreme levels.

I must say, this is seriously revamping of that old Tamil Village Hero movies.

Glad this movie happened, and it was produced with such charm. Vikram should do more of these Village Heroes movies like this.

I would give this movie a deserving 7/10.

This is Tamil Cinema at it's best.

Ven though the story itself is not anything new, the screenplay brilliantly makes it feel fresh. The way, the film shows the events of one night slowly giving the audience information piece by piece and letting us solve the puzzle for the most part while keeping the tension alive was so fun. The rawness of everything around was elevated by the great performances, obviously expected from Vikram but also most of the other cast. The flashback portion in the middle felt a little bit unnecessary and slowed down the film but the way it ended was satisfactory. The drama and the rawness were strong points of the film but the action itself was mostly just okay when everything surrounding it was really great. The action scene near the end was a bit of a mess. Narratively, it makes sense because how even at that point the characters are revealing their intents and character by their actions but it was shot in a weird way. The way a lot of small, small things are connected to the main story, a reveal at the very end which shows how everything happened because of coincidences that were meant to be and connected to each other way more than we thought was very interesting as well as giving a bit of levity after all the brutality.

The decision to call this Part 2 still feels a bit gimmicky and just a promotion tactic. There's not really much need for a part 1 but if they make it, they better make it worthy of this.

I am happy to finally watch a Vikram film from the theater and be satisfied. The screenplay was brilliant but there were a few compromises without which this could've been truly great.

The film boasts a captivating screenplay filled with intense, gripping scenes and powerful dialogues that leave a lasting impact. The stellar performances of actors like Vikram, SJ Surya, Sukumaran, and Prudhvirajan add depth and authenticity to their respective roles, showcasing their versatility and talent. Balaji's portrayal of the character Venkat stands out for its natural and effortless execution, making the character relatable and believable. The background score plays a crucial role in enhancing the emotional weight of the film, seamlessly complementing the narrative and taking the cinematic experience to a whole new level. Director Arunkumar deserves special recognition for crafting a compelling story, skillfully directing the cast, and ensuring that every character is portrayed with precision and without any flaws, resulting in a truly remarkable film.

This marks the first occasion in my life where I have encountered a film that deliberately defies chronological order; I cannot remember any prior instances where the creators opted to unveil 'Part 2' of a series before presenting the first instalment.

Now, many may mistakenly believe that such an unconventional approach would lead to narrative inconsistencies and possibly make the storytelling disjointed, but I assure you, that was far from the reality here.

The plot unfolds with clarity, allowing audiences to clearly grasp the events on screen while simultaneously igniting curiosity about the characters, just as intended, leaving one eager for further revelations.

The only moment it falters is shortly after the intermission, when it briefly revisits a flashback scene, this segment, aside from one standout scene in the police station, felt inferior compared to the rest.

And I guess this wouldn't really come off as a surprise but Chiyaan Vikram, as 'Kaali', overshadowed nearly everyone else, with the sole exception of SJ Suryah, who once again proved his mettle and held his own ground on his own merit.

The technical crew behind cinematography and sound designing deserves commendation as well, for they had crafted a film that is both visually and aurally sumptuous. Some of the visuals were simply breathtaking, and the background score by G. V. Prakash Kumar infused the necessary vigour and energy into the mix.

A crime lord seeks help from his ex-henchman to save his son from an encounter.

The story starts from the first second of the movie. So, don't miss the first few minutes. The writer put his main character in a difficult situation and how he is going to escape from it was a great plot.

This type of plot is not new to us but the way the writer handled the story in the screenplay was excellent.

The screenplay kicked into top gear early on and kept going at almost the same pace until the climax, but the gears wore out in the last few minutes.

I haven't seen any film in recent times that accurately evokes the tension created by the scenes in this film.

We have to appreciate the writer for writing this adrenaline rush screenplay.

Nothing is 100% perfect in this world we live in. If there is, then we could name it as a mystery.

Similarly, this film can easily be criticized for its screenplay knots and one or two typical commercial cinema elements, but it cannot be labeled as an unwatchable film.

All of them who acted in this film gave their extraordinary performances. From Vikram, Dhushara, and Suraj venjaramoodu to small character artists. Perfectly blended characterization and artist selection were written and selected as pitch-perfect.

G. V. Prakash's background score was another main pillar after the screenplay. His work was fantastic, to be frank. This one was one of his career-best works.

Cinematography has been handled fair. There are a few single-shot scenes, which were captured flawlessly. The fight choreography was decent.

The art department has delivered excellent work from them as it suits this story world. Costume department work also stands out as the perfect costume sense were given as per the economic background of the characters.

As whole, the best thrilling ride!