Viduthalai Part 1 movie review: A very hard-hitting intense film about police brutality

Viduthalai Part 1 which is directed by Vetrimaaran is not for the faint-hearted, the film is super intense one to come across since Visaranai. It is not just another film on police brutality but one that exposes the inefficiency of a system which continues to prey upon the weak. The film, is an elaborate & detailed portrayal of abuse of power, it shows the life on an honest police constable, who is torn between his job and seeking the truth.

The film is narrated from the perspective of Kumaresan (Soori), a righteous police constable who gets recruited into the team that has been on the hunt to capture Perumal aka Vaathiyar – The Mentor (Vijay Sethupathi), the leader of the local separatist group called Makkal Padai (People’s Army). Kumaresan joins the force with big dreams but little does he know that he would spend most of his time doing menial jobs – from delivering food to every check post through the forest to doing tower duty at night. When Kumaresan accidentally crosses paths with Vaathiyar and later plays a pivotal role in his capture, his beliefs about what’s right and wrong are questioned.

In the beginning, the film opens with a train blast and the visuals are easily the most chilling scenes one would’ve seen in Indian cinema in recent years. People’s Army is blamed for the attack which has resulted in 28 deaths and many severely injured. The police department launches operation ‘Ghost Hunt’ to capture Vaathiyar dead or alive. Cut to next shot, we see a bus being frisked at a check post and the police shoot down two men (for carrying weapons) in cold blood when they try to flee the scene. In both the scenes, some lives have been taken but the police killings are justified as they become newspaper headlines the next day. Viduthalai questions the ethics behind police brutality in the most uncomfortable way.

This crime drama does not only throw the spotlight on police brutality, it also discusses the state of politics in Tamil Nadu in the 1990s. Soori, who has so far played comic roles in his career, is a very interesting choice to play the central character. He becomes a silent spectator to all the atrocities that happen in the name of police investigation. He brings out the innocence as well as helplessness of his character so effectively.

Director Vetrimaaran made some very unique casting choices. It’s a masterstroke to cast Gautham Vasudev Menon to play a key role. A filmmaker whose films usually glorified cop killings now plays a cop in a film that exposes police brutality in the most flinching manner. Vijay Sethupathi as Vaathiyar is a no brainer. Even though he makes an extended cameo appearance, he leaves maximum impact in those scenes. Bhavani Sre is a talent to watch out for who face the maximum brunt, is what makes Viduthalai disturbing and scary at times.