‘Viduthalai Part 2’ movie review: Vijay Sethupathi powers Vetri Maaran’s sequel where ideology outweighs intimate storytelling 

Vijay Sethupathi in a still from ‘Viduthalai Part 2’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

During one of Viduthalai Part 2’s best scenes, a brief and fleeting moment features a leaf falling on an unconscious Perumal Vaathiyaar (Vijay Sethupathi). It’s as if nature wants to wake him up to stop the proceeding act of injustice. When that does not work, nature amps it up with a dose of rain that awakens him, literally and figuratively. Moments like these populate Vetri Maaran’s Viduthalai Part 2, his most politically charged film yet that leaves you wishing it had more to offer.

The first Viduthalai film followed the journey of Constable Kumaresan (Soori), a newly recruited constable who had no choice but to get quickly acclimatised to the harsh conditions of his unit and the harsher treatment his peers mete out to the villagers safeguarding Vaathiyaar. Viduthalai Part 2 sidelines the story of the paltry cop and instead, focuses on the trials and tribulations of Vaathiyaar by showcasing the path — laden with blood, sweat and tears shed by him and his comrades — that turned this unassuming teacher into the leader of a separatist group. As the captured Vaathiyaar is ordered to be brought to a camp inconspicuously, Kumaresan, his depraved boss Ragavendar (Chetan) and the team have to brave treacherous terrain and Vaathiyaar in his ‘Oru kadha sollata saar?’ mode as they embark on a journey through the forest.

The first film, in establishing the two sides of the conflict, the politics behind them and the several issues plaguing both sides, presented facts without getting into the greys that separate them. It concentrated on the conflict between the troops and the group, as well as the life of Kumaresan who had to make the difficult trade of his innocence and morals for recognition in his job and the love he found in Tamizharasi (Bhavani Sre). The sequel though, using the past of Vaathiyaar as a tool, zooms in on how the system, put in place to protect its people, works against them and how those who stand against it are branded as militants.

Viduthalai Part 2 firmly touches upon the inequality within people, the systemic oppression in place, the forces that keep solutions at bay, and the system that favours those in power. Like how Vaathiyaar schools cops on the difference between facts and information broken down into pieces and left to the listener to piece together, Viduthalai Part 2 packs enough to ignite a spark within those whose ideologies do not align with that of the film.

But there’s only so much ideas (or ideologies) can do and it would not be an overstatement to call the sequel a far cry from the comparatively well-rounded first film. Kumaresan, played by Soori, much like Vetri’s previous heroes, was an underdog unwittingly pulled into a world of chaos that he has to escape somehow. Amidst the pandemonium he was subjected to — thanks to the moral and ethical dilemmas within him — Kumaresan found solace in a fellow villager and rose to the occasion when she was harassed. Here too the trigger point for Vaathiyaar’s character is something similar, but the sequel suffocates beneath the weight of its preachiness.

A still from ‘Viduthalai Part 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

If the first film narrated a story that unravelled in mere days, Viduthalai Part 2 captures the decades spent by its leading man who evolves as the film progresses. This, while adding flab to a film that already runs close to three hours, also dilutes the intensity of the punch it strives to strike.

Of course, Vijay Sethupathi is fantastic as Vaathiyaar, and with Maharaja, it’s lovely to see the ace performer back to playing lead roles showcasing his acting prowess.  Ken Karunas and Manju Warrier to make their presence felt and Chetan and Rajiv Menon as evil officials wreck more havoc than what they did in the first film. However, unlike Viduthalai Part 1, which treated most of its primary characters as mere pawns in a game played by those above, the sequel is a Vijay Sethupathi show all the way, leaving very little for the rest to do. Unsurprisingly, when emotions are shared or lives are mercilessly taken, Viduthalai Part 2 fails to recreate the impact its predecessor did.

At a time when filmmakers struggle to write strong villains, Viduthalai Part 2 sports an array of characters with different shades of evil. If Rajiv Menon’s character is bureaucratic evil, Chetan plays an egotistical maniac who’s ready to kill to save his pride. Vetri stuffs the film with a slew of such characters and there’s an attempt to add individuality if not an entire arc to these characters. We learn that Rajiv’s character supports people learning Hindi and another cop is happy to throw a fellow cop under the bus even though he’s his relative. There’s even a throwaway line on how Left-wing terminology originated from the French Revolution. These aspects add very little to the overarching plot that’s painfully wafer-thin. You begin to wonder if Viduthalai could have been a solo outing with each half of it showing how Kumaresan and Vaathiyaar are two sides of the same coin.

A still from ‘Viduthalai Part 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Just like its politics, the film is also strong with its technical aptitude, which becomes more apparent during the action sequences. Genius composer Ilaiyaraaja amplifies the mood with a fantastic score, and sometimes, with deafening silence. But even that, and the brilliant lines the film is laced with, does not save us from the exasperating lip-sync issues. Arguably the biggest chip in Viduthalai’s armour is how it completely neglects the story of Kumaresan or what happened to his lady love and her friends who were subjected to custodial torture. The literal cliffhanger ending fails to do justice to a story that spans more than 320 minutes.

Despite a strong political core that puts out a message that’s unfortunately relevant even in today’s world and strong performances (rooting for Vijay to nab some awards) to back the plot, Vetri Maaran’s sequel lacks the emotions that worked wonders with the first part. Nevertheless, Viduthalai Part 2 still intrigues with its take on what freedom means and what it costs.

Viduthalai Part 2 is currently running in theatres