Despite the multitude of problems that have plagued the Tamil film industry, we have witnessed a slew of content-driven, successful films. After actor Karthi’s Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru , Vishal’s Thupparivaalan and Nayanthara’s Aramm , comes actor Sibiraj’s Sathya , which is a remake of Telugu hit Kshanam . It is a tightly woven thriller about the search for a missing girl.
Staying true to the genre, the film’s twists adhere to the internal logic defined in the film.
Sathya gets a call from his ex-girlfriend, Shwetha (played by Remya Nambeesan), who asks him for help to find her young daughter kidnapped outside her playschool. From the time Sathya lands in Chennai and agrees to help Shwetha with bits and pieces of information, the film moves along at a steady pace, raising various questions about the case, even forcing us to consider completely preposterous possibilities about whether such a kidnap really happened.
The rest of the film is about how the lives of Shwetha, Sathya, ACP Anu (played by Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) and Inspector Chowdhri (played by Anandraj), get intertwined and mysteries unravel in a complex web of deceit and lies.
This is by far actor Sibiraj’s best performance: he looks calm, composed and comfortable in front of the camera.
Actor Varalaxmi Sarathkumar also packs a punch as an empathetic police officer.
Actor Anandraj, who plays the role of a ruthless policeman, livens up the film.
After teasing the audience for much of the film, the film delivers the payoffs handsomely. If one were to point out the problematic portions of the film, it would be the portrayal of two black Africans, who seem to be involved in some sort of organised crime and drug trade.
With a significant number of African students choosing to study in India and facing severe racial discrimination and prejudice, the film could have avoided the stereotypical portrayal of black African men as criminals.
The argument that it is just a faithful remake cannot be an excuse.
