“Aayiram pere azhikununna ninakkara avanungale uyir kodukka ready ayirikka, kappathanamnu ninakkara naammalum uyir kodukka thayyar akanameda( If they who want to kill thousands of people are ready to sacrifice their lives , why cant we sacrifice our lives too to protect others)”
I was so impressed while leaving theaters after watching Kaththi yesterday that my first instinct was to go back and visit the same director-actor team’s first outing – THUPPAKKI . I loved the movie when I watched it back in 2012 but did not get a chance to watch it again. Today when I completed Thuppakki, once again the above dialogue really struck me hard. Behind all the dance, fight ,romantic and comedy scenes to cater to Vijay Fans, A.R Murugadoss successfully conveyed a good message and paid a great tribute to the Indian Army members as he exactly intended
In an intial scene from Thuppakki , his police friend tells Vijay that a police officer has to think in many different ways depending on the situation but an army person just have to take the gun and shoot always . This was perhaps Murugadoss’s way of showing how there are people who have a faulty impression about the soldiers who protect our country and through his movie he was telling such audience to look at them in a different angle.
Another impressive aspect is how unusually and refreshingly clever the villain was. In fact I remember how stunned was I when Vidyut finds the scenarios where 12 men can wear suits together on a day that I thought – ‘ A villain with brains in a Vijay movie, that is something new !’. Finally the breathtaking speed at which the 2 year 49 minute movie unfolds without a boring moment, today I feel Thuppakki is Vijay’s best movie to have come out ever.
The team’s second outing after 2 years – KATHTHI does fall behind Thuppakki but only slightly. If Thuppakki was a tribute to our army, Kaththi pays the same to our farmers. First to the minuses – the first 20 minutes does go wayward with the Vijay-Samantha meeting and the song in the airport being not exactly impressive as the makers wanted. Neil Nitin Mukesh does a very decent job but pales in comparison to Vidyut because this villain is not smart like latter. Third – few dialogues meant as social messages come across as preachy and forceful unlike Thuppakki where it was subtle yet hard-hitting.
But despite these minuses, still Kaththi works because A.R Murugadoss once again brings in clever techniques and goosebump moments to keep the audience engaging throughout. If the stunt sequence with coin flipping with light on/off technique was hugely imaginative , Murugadoss showed why he is a genius by bringing it once again in the climax paving way to more whistles and applause.
That this director and actor understand and trust each other completely now is evident from the fact they boldly removed the quintessential “Vijay introduction fight and dance number” and the camera did not shy away from focusing the actor’s face while Vijay cries in the flashback scenes where actor did a fine job as well. If the first action sequence with the two foreign ladies after 30 minutes was worth all the wait, perhaps only Murugadoss can use the punch dialogue- ‘I am waiting’ – from his previous movie’s interval scene once again right before the break and still have it greeted by claps and cheer
Thuppakki ranks among one of the highest grossing Tamil movies ever and if reports are to be believed, Kaththi has yesterday broken the records for the best opening by a Tamil movie. After many years of remaking hits from other languages, Vijay has finally found a director who could give him something fresh directly and make it work too. On the other hand, A.R Murugadoss clearly has the ability to cleverly mix an intriguing screenplay and good social message with all other things that Vijay fans look for.
One is an actor,a star who has a huge fan base and whose energy is still infectious like any youngster. Another is a director who knows this actor’s strengths and uses him quite effectively to pass on his message to an immensely wider audience. Together they form a lethal combination. As for me, ‘I am waiting’ and waiting eagerly for this team’s next venture together!
