After its initial postponement and issues regarding the OTT rights, Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2 starring Chiyaan Vikram supported by S.J. Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Dushara Vijayan, and Prudhvi Raj has released in theatres. It was released despite clashing with L2: Empuraan and Sikandar. Helmed by director S.U. Arun Kumar, this film was advertised as a three-part movie with the second part releasing first. Director S.U. Arun Kumar has taken a different approach and has chosen to release the second part of this franchise first. The film was advertised as a gangster action-drama with the story taking place over a night. After directing Chithha which became a success, how well has S.U. Arun Kumar done in helming this project?
The film shows us how SP Arunagiri (S.J. Suryah) plans to kill “Periyavar” Ravi (Prudhvi Raj) and his son Kannan (Suraj Venjaramoodu) in an encounter to settle an old score. Simultaneously, Ravi and Kannan plan to kill Arunagiri by taking the help of Kaali (Vikram), a grocery shop owner and Ravi’s former henchman. How Kaali helps Ravi despite his wife, Kalaivaani (Dushara Vijayan) opposing it and the events that transpire afterwards is what forms the story of that night.
Story & Screenplay:
The story begins with a woman coming to Ravi’s house to create a scene and enquire about her husband but is driven away by Kannan. Soon after, her husband files a missing complaint with SP Arunagiri who uses this as an opportunity to kill Ravi and Kannan. The screenplay takes a quick pace to introduce the characters, and their intentions and progresses with twists and builds up the suspense. The screenplay has been written with minute detailing in each scene which keeps you hooked and if you miss a scene, you will feel lost. S.U. Arun Kumar deserves praise for cleverly writing this screenplay and taking a different approach by showing the sequel first in which the world has already been established and the characters are known to each other. However, the pacing dips towards the end of the first half with the flashback sequence and an unexpected interval.
Direction:
S.U. Arun Kumar has kept this film as a real, raw gangster action drama with a few mass moments and has developed the each of key characters brilliantly. He has built up the mass moments and topped them off with well-executed action sequences and it has worked well in the film. The 16-minute single-shot sequence is truly the highlight of the film, leaving you in awe of how well it has been done. Arun Kumar has done an excellent job of portraying Kaali as a vulnerable family man who is coming up against three other individuals not sure of whom he should trust.
Technical Aspects:
The cinematography by Theni Eswar has been crucial in keeping the viewers hooked to the screen and the cinematographer does not try anything fancy barring the 16-minute single-shot sequence. The visuals and VFX have been done well but nothing out of the ordinary.
Performances:
Vikram, S.J. Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Dushara Vijayan shine brightest in this action drama and have been supported well by the rest of the cast. Vikram looked his natural best as Kaali while S.J. Suryah nailed his role as that cold-blooded cop. Suraj Venjaramoodu, who is usually known for his comic roles in Malayalam cinema, has pulled off his role convincingly on his debut in Tamil cinema. Dushara Vijayan has also done justice to her role and her chemistry with Vikram works well.
Music & Background score:
G.V. Prakash has been on a good phase in recent films and he has done well in elevating mass moments in the film with the background scores. Barring that and the song Kalloorum, there is nothing extraordinary.
Final Verdict:
Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2 is a very cleverly written raw and real gangster action drama with a good first half forming a good base and a high-octane second half making this a good watch in theatres. Despite its clash with L2: Empuraan and Sikandar, I feel it can perform well at the box office and become a hit. Go for it!
Rating: 4/5