Viduthalai Part 2

I already knew the 2nd part would focus on VS's character since they already teased us in the end credits of the first film. But to be honest this is a far less intense, less thrilling successor...it's a proper political based film on how the leader of the common backward people is born n how people of authority abuse power...The film is mostly msg oriented n u will lose patience after some time, even as a hardcore movie buff...it was a total drag in between and the romantic angle of VS n Manju Warrier was a total waste of time. In fact Manju Warrier was a huge letdown, I truly beleive there were far more superior actors who could portray that role so well n would have taken the film to a new level...being a superstar from Malayalam film industry doesn't mean u can be a good actor in Tamil or any other language...She was chosen only due to her star power n hype was a major disappointment. I'm from Kerala n this is my honest opinion. Soori was a treat to watch in the first, but I felt he was a bit sidelined...I wished the narrative would have focussed more on Soori's POV storytelling n VS was rather a lead cameo character. Probably Vetrimaaran's least enthusiastic film imo.

Vetri had done something not many can do. I know he lived in North Arcot district in his early days. I have heard few stories about Naxalits and i can see he had heard too 😊

Dialogues were poweful and it's a politics lesson for all. It's coming at a time right wing is dominating india.

As always Sethu supporting these kinds of movie is not new but hats off again.

End of the day, i was wondering why Vetri did this movie. For sure this got less scope for a blockbuster movie like aadukalam or vada chennai. I see this as, Vetri liked to share what a communist party and back in days, the so called naxalites got created. More than that, he makes us all feel violence is not a solution but politicizing people is the solution, which is what Thiruma keeps saying 😊

While viduthalai-1 is classic elevated by Suri, viduthalai-2 is good but many parts look cliched and over reaching. Vijay sethupati has acted well as always but would not say brilliant. Gautam menon have same wooden expression as in umpteen films. He is miscast. Anurag kashyap still has the same cheeky expression of a paanwalah. Sethupathy and Anurag kashyap look too well fed for the radicals they were portraying. The guys portraying chief secretary, collector and SP are mere caricatures. The locations, photography brilliant. For his standards, expected much more from Vetrimaran. Still a good movie.

Viduthalai 2 is a rare instance of a Vetrimaaran film not hitting the anticipated highs. Sure, the efforts are evident in terms of writing and performance, but this is Vetrimaaran pulling off a Gautham Menon in terms of excessive voiceovers - it's always "tell" and not "show." The love story in Part 1 was one of its top redeeming qualities, but the Vijay Sethupathi - Manju Warrier romance is not as resonating. Maybe, both their wigs were too distracting for me. It gets better in the second half, however.

Ilaiyaraja's score is fantastic, especially adding more fervour to the action blocks. Vetri crafts the pre-intermission corn field set piece really well. Placing the blow horn-esque Viduthalai theme amid it was also a solid decision. Then again, the editing (as is the case in several Vetrimaaran films) is choppy. We can sense a matter-of-fact, information-dump nature to the proceedings with Rajiv Menon and company (offering some odd hilarity in the process), but an extra dose of melodrama (and preachiness) is added to the flashbacks.

I'm not sure if it's an editing flaw or because Vetri has the habit of rewriting dialogues at the time of dub, but the voiceovers at times tend to overlap with dialogue exchanges; that was jarring as hell. Technicalities aside, this is probably Vetri's most politically charged film to date, even when some loose threads don't really get anywhere. How you take to that can also affect your viewing experience. The film's concluding scene reinstates how good a writer Vetrimaaran is, and how great a performer Soori is.

Also, did CBFC really choose to blur out those gory scenes after an "A" certification? I don't get it. The same goes for cuss words.

Viduthalai Part 2 is somewhat similar to 2003 Tamil Drama "Anbe Sivam" starring Kamal Hassan and Madhavan. Both of them are bases upon the Marxist ideology of equality and annihilation of oppressors. Yet both are completely different in a way that later one is slice-of-life comedy drama that has hint of violence while the former is cruel and brutal yet filled with raw emotion and political depth.

The second installment of 2023 version of Vetrimaaran's political crime drama is as gripping and thrilling as the first one. Part 1 was all about Soori's character Kumaresan, this part solely focuses on the rebellion leader Vaathiyar Perumal played by none other than Vijay Sethupathi. Isn't this enough to get everyone's attention!!!

Part 2 depicts the backstory behind the events that turned a school teacher into the leader of an extremist group. Perumal himself narrates his origin story to the policemen who are escorting him to a secure location after his arrest. Kumaresan is not completely out of picture though. Even after playing a significant role in the capturing of Perumal, he's still facing the moral dilemma, caught between his sense of duty and the brutal reality of the police force he's working for.

Background score from Ilaiyaraaja is spot on as it was in the earlier version along with brilliant visuals that make this an epic saga.