TUGHLAQ DURBAR (2021)
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| Critic No. 238 |
Director: Delhi Prasad Deenadayalan
Written by: Delhi Prasad Deenadayalan
Produced by: Seven Screen Studios
Casts: Vijay Sethupathi, Parthiban, Karunakaran, Raashi Khanna, Manjima Mohan
Music: Govind Vasantha
Language: Tamil
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
A budding politician, Singam (Vijay Sethupathi) has devious plans to rise in the ranks until an unexplainable force emerges to interfere with his every crooked move.
REVIEW:
After decades, we saw how the hero-villain relationships can be treated with a light vein of wisecracks and counters through Vijay Sethupathi and Parthiban in Naanum Rowdy Thaan (2015). This definitely raises the expectation for Tughlaq Durbar when these two names are back together and this time for a political comedy which has scope for ample of witty liners. With promo materials suggesting a high concept treatment for the film, curiosity was high to know what might be the plot all about.
Tughlaq Durbar starts off with an interesting scene where the protagonist of the film, Singaravelan alias Singam (Vijay Sethupathi) is born while his mother was attending a political rally by Rayyappan. Naturally, as he grows up, he is attracted to politics and he believes that he is born for the arena. Singam's attempts to get closer to Rayappan clearly feel like a nod to Amaidhi Padai (the homage never stops there), with Delhiprasad Deenadayalan satirizing the world of politics.
But just when nears his idol to fulfil his political dream, by a quirk of fate, Singam develops a conscience. Director Deenadayalan creates a situation in which the unscrupulous Singam's good side begins to manifest in him, making him do the right thing. This is visually represented by a terrific visual stretch in which we see him cast another shadow as he walks along a narrow lane at night.
The chemistry between Parthiban and Vijay Sethupathi is electrifying on screen and this keeps us invested in the largely engaging sequences. Deenadayalan ensures that we are entertained in every scene and moves the story at a racing pace and surprisingly we can never feel the length even though the film runs for 2 hours, 25 minutes. We might have seen a similar concept of underdog rising up to the political arena through a string of cunning acts in films like Amaidhi Padai (1994) and Saguni (2012), but the unique aspect of the film is how the 2 alter egos try to outrun each other, forming a meaningful, well thought arc for Vijay Sethupathi. It is also nice to see Vijay Sethupathi acting in a big budget, out and out commercial comedy again (after Soodhu Kavvum, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan and Junga), which clearly his strength. In one scene we see Singam ignoring his sister when her friend complains to him that her boss is sexually harrasing her. It is quite refreshing to also see how 'hero' morals that Indian cinema tries to always uphold, is thrashed here to establish a flawed character rather than a perfect 'hero'. I hope mainstream Indian cinema continues to portray more realism and flawed characters as such.
On the downside, other than Vijay Sethupathi, Parthiban, Karunakaran and Bhagavathi Perumal, none of the other characters stick with us. The sub plot of Manjima Mohan as the sister of Vijay never picks up and I cannot believe that she has one or two short lines in this entire film. Even though Raashi Kanna’s character has more screen time, she is just used for a song and a force fitted love track.
The striking, colourful cinematography, by Manoj Paramahamsa and Mahendran Jayaraju, and the rousing score, by Govind Vasantha contributes to the engagement factor of the film. Even though the climax is short and feels abrupt, Deenadayalan’s idea to pay homage to Amaidhi Padai (might be his inspiration as well) by ending the film off with Nagaraja Cholan character, definitely keeps us on the edge and wait for a crossover film soon!
VERDICT:
‘Tughlaq Durbar’ is a wisecracking political entertainer that delivers a predictable tale in an interesting fresh concept that is largely engaging, thanks to the hilarious, deadly combo of Vijay Sethupathi and Parthiban.
CELLULOID METER- 3.5/5:
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