'Sethupathi' review: Vijay Sethupathi outshines many other Kollywood heroes as the cop

Film: Sethupathi
Starring: Vijay Sethupathi, Remya Nambeesan, Vela Ramamoorthy
Director: SU Arun Kumar
Rating: ***

What it's about 

Director SU Arun Kumar who made the much-appreciated Pannaiyarum Padminiyum with Vijay Sethupathi returns to the big screen with this cop film. Vijay Sethupathi plays Sethupathi, a cop who is honest but tough and rustic at the same time. Sethupathi lives in Madurai with his wife Remya Nambeesan and their son and daughter. One day a sub-inspector is found charred to death in his jurisdiction and he starts to investigate the heinous crime. As he unearths clues, he ends up interrogating other policemen and eventually end up at the door of Vadhiyar (Vela Ramamoorthy) who is an old, power-wielding gangster in the district. Meanwhile, while investigating the theft of a gold chain at the police station, Sethupathi ends up shooting a schoolboy. How did he shoot the schoolboy? Is he thrown behind bars? Does Sethupathi eventually find the man who killed the policeman? What was the motive behind the SI's murder? What is the connection to him?

What's hot

Arun Kumar has written a cop story that has all the commercial elements in the right proportion. He has made sure there are no loud over-the-top dialogues and punchlines that are typical of all on-screen cops in Tamil films. The story is crisp and well-written, while the narration is engaging as well. Arun Kumar seems to have written the role of Sethupathi keeping Vijay Sethupathi in mind. Vijay Sethupathi brings to life Sethupathi on screen and is very believable as the honest but tough cop. He is rugged and macho in the police station but endearing and loving when he is with his wife and kids. The romantic scenes between him and Remya Nambeesan showcase their chemistry and are taken up a notch because of Remya's expressive eyes and smile. The actress has pulled off the role of a wife and mother with ease, downplaying emotions and delivering a restrained performance. Arun Kumar has made sure there is humour in the film by way of dialogues rather than a comedian and that works in the movie's favour. The movie is obviously predictable (in that good triumphs over evil) but the treatment by the director and the acting of the lead pair gives this regular cop story a new twist. The cinematography by Dinesh Krishnan and editing by Sreekar Prasad are a must-mention here. The movie is visually very appealing and the editor has made sure there is no lag. After having seen so many run-of-the-mill cop movies in Tamil cinema, Sethupathi is definitely worthy of a franchise. 

What's not

There are the regular chases (some unnecessary maybe) that happen in a cop-chasing-bad-guy story. The enmity that develops between the cop and the villain also happens for quite a cliched reason. 

What to do

Don't miss Sethupathi as Vijay Sethupathi outshines many other heroes in Kollywood as the cop.