Seethakaathi Review: Vijay Sethupathi’s 25th film is a must watch!

One has to admit it. Tamil cinema is obsessed with its heroes. It raises them to the highest pedestal, wins them the undivided attention of fans, and upcoming heroes strive to attain their stardom. A recent film where Tamil cinema has explored the fame of these idols and the concept of making an actor was explored in films such as Uttama Villain and Jigarthanda. This time around director Balaji Tharaneetharan latest film Seethakaathi deals with something similar, along with an original and interesting premise. A veteran theatrical actor (Vijay Sethupathi) reminisces his life as an actor and compares it with his past and present. However, when life takes an unexpected twist, he begins to impact the lives of people in the most unimaginable ways.

It’s a terrific premise, and there is a lot to like about the film. Director Balaji Tharaneetharan, wonderfully blends some good humor, some arrogance, warm emotions along with a cheeky look into how Tamil cinema functions. One of the many strengths of the film is the director’s vision to show every scene and emotions with clarity. The foreshadowing in the scenes has a tale to tell, while the organic way the film flows in reveals a bigger picture. For instance, take the scene when members of the theatre group begin to see a ray of optimism in their lives or the scene where Parasuraman (Moouli) is able to sense a negativity – everything is predictable yet not forced in the plot. The film’s humor is another strength as it constantly makes you laugh. It’s simple humor, that’s based on a situation. It reminds you why the director’s first film Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom was high on humor too.

However, there are times when the film does seem like it takes its own time to establish a scene. The ideas appear more often than once, while some scenes are explained once then again visually shown again too. There are moments when the film feels like a stage play. This isn’t wrong, but given the concept or objective of the scene, this could’ve been reduced to a crisper sequence. It also results in constantly trying to resell the idea of a hero with a ‘different’ ideology than Ayya (Vijay Sethupathi), which eventually slows how the pace of the film.

Vijay Sethupathi appears in a never-seen-before character in his career and creates a massive impact throughout the film. He is especially good while he performs a monologue on stage. Rajkumar brings out the humor in the early parts of the film. However, debutant Sunil Reddy (actor Vaibhav’s brother) delivers the best scenes in the film. Right from his attempt to become a ‘star’, his interactions with the director or be it his ability to display arrogance with humor – he’s terrific. Veteran actor Mouli too deserves praise for his performance in the emotional sequence.

Seethakathi is for those who would like to see an interesting, bold, and fun film. The cast seems to be enjoying themselves in the film – they shine with their performance and don’t mind taking a dig at themselves too. It’s not often you find this, do you? Vijay Sethupathi deserves a special mention for making sure his 25th film praises the hero-the star in the most unconventional ways!