Review Overview
Performances
Screenplay and Direction
Technical Aspects and BGM
A Gritty Action Drama!
Uriyadi is one of the crucial political films in Tamil cinema that unabashedly bring to public attention the root cause of caste-based political parties and its apparent ascendancy. Vijay Kumar, who has played one of the lead roles, apart from co-producing and directing the film, has excelled in his raw, veritable treatment of the subject matter.
Cast: Henna Bella, Vijay Kumar, Mime Gopi, Siva Perumal & others
Cinematography: Paul Livingstone
Editing: Abhinav Sunder Nayak
Music: Anthony Dasan, Masala Coffee
Written & Directed by: Vijay Kumar
PRO: Nikkil Murugan
Produced by: Pinrom Pictures, Souvenir Productions
Release Date: 26-05-2016
Run Time: 02:06:00
Uriyadi is one of the crucial political films in Tamil cinema that unabashedly bring to public attention the root cause of caste-based political parties and its apparent ascendancy. Vijay Kumar, who has played one of the lead roles, apart from co-producing and directing the film, has excelled in his raw, veritable treatment of the subject matter and makes an assured feature film debut.
Set in the year of 1999 in a village near Trichy, the film blows wide open the emergence of caste politics like never before. Uriyadi doesn’t express vehement opinions on caste wars but it unpretentiously puts across how vulnerable caste is in stirring up social tension.
The film opens up with four final year engineering college students – played by Vijay Kumar, Chandru, Jeyakanth and Sivaperumal – who have a devil-may-care attitude and blithe disregard for academics. For the most part, they are seen visiting a nearby dhaba where they booze till they could barely stand. First they get into a drunken brawl with the manager of the bar, which is owned by an influential local politician (Mime Gopi), when the latter refuses to allow a Harijan inside. Later, they lock horns with a local brothel-keeper who desperately waits for an opportunity to avenge his humiliation. There is also a parallel track of power-hungry politicians who scheme to exploit students to launch their caste-based political party.
Vijay Kumar effortlessly unmasks the caste and class interests of politicians with thought-provoking, vigorously expressive dialogues and brutal stunt sequences which are rivetingly staged. The supporting cast is neither star-studded nor filled with seasoned performers; but is interesting and as solid as they come.
The first half gallops steadily till the interval block without any noticeable lull moments. It legibly establishes important characters before setting up the major conflict. But, the film moves at a leisurely pace in the first few minutes of the second half that put the brakes on an otherwise engaging action drama. By the time the stage gets ready for the third-act, Vijay Kumar makes his mark by pulling the right strings.
The last twenty minutes of the film belong to Abhinav Sundar Nayak, whose perceptive intellect of the proceedings has produced one of the superbly edited climax sequences ever. His work smartly transforms the seemingly feigned violence into a legitimate closure.
Uriyadi has been rightly certified ‘A’ for the excessive graphic violence shown on screen. It is, certainly, not an ultimate violence porn though. Vijay Kumar should be applauded for staying true to the genre by delivering unsettling and blood-soaked action scenes with full-blown inventiveness.