Raththam Movie Review

After KV Anand’s Ko back in 2011, no other film in Tamil cinema has convincingly taken up the backdrop of journalism when it comes to doing a thriller. However, CS Amudhan, who amusingly takes a break from his Tamizh Padam films and comes forward to do a procedural thriller in Raththam, has succeeded in his task.

Raththam is not a film that follows the general format of a thriller in Tamil cinema, nor is it an entertainer masquerading as a thriller. The film somewhat succeeds in finding a middle-ground which has not been explored before, both in terms of its setting and the crime that it brings forward. The best part about Raththam is about how busy it gets with its plot points after setting up the proceedings in the first 30 minutes of the film.

CS Amudhan ensures that he has done a proper amount of homework for his film, by delivering a lot of sequences which are quite new for the audiences. Apart from constantly throwing up some sort of small surprises throughout the film, it also manages to do a great level of social commentary that is a big value addition to the film. Raththam’s big win is because it manages to put together so much while still maintaining clarity and not getting into too much of a docu-drama effect.

But this sort of a level-headed and well-written screenplay also deserved a bit of styling when it comes to the visuals onscreen. Raththam does suffer from the film looking small-scale compared to its vision, and its technical factors too do not support the visuals much. If only the film had a solid background score, the effect that it delivers would have been doubled up with ease.

However, it makes up for that through the performances – Vijay Antony is excellent in a role that is dialogue-heavy and has quite a few transitions, Nandita Swetha carries her part well, Nizhalgal Ravi is superb in a full-fledged role, Jagan has a whistle-worthy moment to his name, and Mahima Nambiar is the ultimate surprise package.

Toting up, it is undeniable that Raththam is indeed Vijay Antony’s best film in recent times, as it keeps itself on its toes and delivers a very good second half that keeps piquing our attention. The climax sequence involving a horse is indeed one of the best endings to a film this year, and that makes it a fine high to a film that has done well with its narrative until then. The team have set very low expectations with their promo material so far, and Raththam is a film that gives you more than you ask for if you walk in on the same level.

Raththam Movie Review Rating: 3.5/5