The Simbu Starrer Is A Wildfire

Gautham
Menon
has
truly
come
out
of
his
comfort
zone
for

Vendhu
Thanindhathu
Kaadu.
Not
just
out
of
his
comfort
zone,
he
has
driven
miles
away
from
it,
just
to
be
sure
he
is
nowhere
near
it.
It’s
certainly
refreshing
to
see
him
directing
a
film
that’s
unlike
anything
he
has
done
before.

Simbu
as
Muthu
is
inspiring
and
it’s
easy
to
root
for
him.
Simbu
and
Gautham
combo
has
proved
its
potential
in
the
very
first
outing,
in

Vinnaithaandi
Varuvaaya.
The
duo
has
created
magic
once
again
and
pulls
off
a
splendid
performance.
The
letter
V
seems
to
be
quite
a
charm.

Siddhi
Idnani,
as
Paavai,
has
given
a
realistic
and
believable
performance.
She
doesn’t
give
away
too
much
of
what
goes
in
her
character’s
mind
while
still
expressing
the
emotional
highs
and
lows
efficiently.

The
songs
work
quite
well,
especially
‘Kaalathukum
Nee
Venum’.
We
get
to
feel
the
AR
Rahman
brand
in
the
song,
and
it’s
exciting.

Story
And
Performances

Gautham
Menon
and
Jeyamohan’s
combination
has
worked
well
in
this
film.
The
writing
is
smooth
and
grounded
to
the
extent
possible.
Gautham
has
been
able
to
do
the
things
he
does
best
without
any
distractions
and
the
end
result
is
quite
satisfying.

There
are
many
subtle
moments
where
you
feel
that
this
is
not
an
over-the-top
gangster
drama.
It’s
a
realistic
journey
of
an
underdog,
and
you
can
sense
the
genuine
transition
that
Muthu,
played
by
Simbu,
undergoes.

There
is
an
instance
where
Muthu
has
to
break
into
a
certain
room,
and
like
the
typical
fictional
male
characters,
he
tries
to
knock
it
over
by
banging
his
shoulder
onto
the
door.
However,
he
realises
that
it
doesn’t
work
and
figures
out
another
way
to
get
into
the
room.
There
are
a
number
of
moments
like
this
in
the
film
that
tell
you
that
this
film
is
not
going
to
treat
you
like
an
idiot.
Overall,
the
series
of
events
that
happen
in
Muthu’s
life
seem
real
and
believable.

Simbu
is
a
seasoned
actor
and
it’s
not
a
surprise
that
he
has
delivered
an
almost
flawless
performance.
He
gives
his
character
a
certain
defeated
aura
throughout
the
film,
and
it
helps
us
keep
up
with
the
emotional
fluctuations
that
he
goes
through.

Siddhi
Idnani
plays
Paavai.
Her
broken
Tamil
is
somewhat
justified
as
she
is
born
and
raised
in
Mumbai.
It
might
have
worked
even
better
if
she
were
not
playing
a
Tamil
girl.
But
that’s
not
a
big
distraction
as
her
performance
holds
attention.
The
actor
who
plays
Maasaanam
has
given
a
noticeable
performance.
He
gets
limited
screen
space
but
he
scores
well.

Technical
Aspects

It’s
refreshing
to
see
the
shots
not
rushing
to
the
next,
and
they
linger
a
little
bit
here
and
there.
It’s
relieving
how
the
editor
understands
that
fast
pace
doesn’t
mean
less
breathing
space
and
faster
transitions.
The
film
despite
its
runtime
and
despite
the
relatively
calm
editing
moves
fast
enough
and
doesn’t
waste
time
on
gratuitous
moments.
The
framing
and
angles
are
interesting
in
some
parts
of
the
film,
especially
when
the
interval
block
starts.

The
music
felt
fresh
and
engaging.
I
personally
have
not
felt
this
way
as
much
about
the
recent
compositions
of
AR
Rahman.
This
was
a
breath
of
fresh
air.

What
Worked
And
What
Didn’t

Simbu
has
acted
really
well,
and
you
don’t
disconnect
from
him
at
any
part
of
the
film.
Writing
is
tight
and
doesn’t
leave
room
for
customary
scenes
that
eat
up
time.
Music
blends
well
with
the
film’s
mood
and
the
songs
work
well
enough.
Some
GVM
references
make
you
smile.

The
post-climactic
ending
felt
a
little
out
of
place.
The
film
was
approaching
a
good
end
point,
and
it
went
past
the
point
and
overstayed.
Neeraj
Madhav’s
character
felt
like
an
unnecessary
tagalong.
He
acted
well,
no
doubt,
but
the
character
didn’t
really
add
to
the
story
in
any
way.
Maybe
it’s
a
setup
for
the
sequel,
which
was
teased
at
the
end.

Verdict

The
sequel
that
Gautham
mentioned,
maybe
he
should
go
ahead
and
make
it.