Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2

The reviews were spot on-Veera Dheera Sooran hooks you right from the opening scene with its gripping narrative. The film keeps you engaged with solid storytelling, immersive cinematography, and a standout single-shot sequence that adds to the intensity.

GV Prakash delivers a decent performance, complementing the film's tone well. However, where the movie falters is in its extended screenplay towards the climax. The last half, while still engaging, loses momentum, making the final stretch feel unnecessarily prolonged. If about 20 minutes had been trimmed, this could have easily been a 4-star film.

Despite its minor flaws, Veera Dheera Sooran is a well-crafted movie with strong storytelling and technical finesse. Just the drag in the climax holds it back from being truly exceptional.

I am my biggest enemy, that's how this movie ends. After building a good storyline, they end up ruinning it in the end with stupid action scenes that have no need in this movie other than to get a few whistles and claps in the theater. The ending is an absolutely cringe and lets the movie down horribly. The lighting throughout the movie was jarring and over bright, made it look like a TV serial. Sooraj (the Malayalam actor) did a very poor job, someone like Fahad fasil was needed for this role, but he would have over powered Vikram, maybe that's why they did not approach him. This is supposed to be a part 2 movie and at the end of it you are supposed to be high on anticipation to know what is in the prequel but, this ending makes you feel like, who cares?? This movie could have been so much better but it was a big let down at the end. Horrible camera work, horrible lighting, horrible action. Big let down at the end.

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.

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.

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.