Chekka Chivantha Vaanam Review: When Blood Relationships Turn Sour!

With Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, the Tamil audiences have got a big multi-starrer, which has been captained by none other than Mani Ratnam and with such a big team, one expects nothing less than a fabulous and unique affair. Has Chekka Chivantha Vaanam lived up to the expectations? Read Chekka Chivantha Vaanam review to get the answers.

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam narrates the tale of a king-pin named Senapathi and his sons, Varadan, Thyagaraj and Ethiraj, who are his probable successors. Things go awry and relationships go strained when there comes a situation when power and money go on to their heads and each one of them try to grab the control with the help of Rasool, a police officer.

Well, the plot of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam might not be a unique one, but the characterizations indeed are. How often do we get to see characters with grey shades playing the protagonists? Each and every character of the film has its own shade of grey. With such characterizations, the film offers many surprise moments, which are not cliched at any point of time.

Nothing much needs to be said about the craftsman named Mani Ratnam and he takes the movie forward in his own style. In fact, the first half of the movie is quite different from the recent movies of the film-maker, considering the commercial narrative pattern that he has opted here. There are a good number of mass moments for each of the lead characters and they gel well with the mood of the movie. He sets the tempo in the right pace for the movie to move forward, sowing the seeds of suspense. Coming to the second half, he shifts gear, as we get to witness a pure gangster drama, which is high on emotions as well. There are many sequences in the film which prove that only Mani Ratnam could have pulled it off this away. Be it the sketching scene of the brothers in the first half or the climatic portions, which are a revelation in Tamil cinema, the film-maker steers the ship in some new directions. The twists in the tale have been neatly placed, especially the revelations that have not been overdone just for the sake of it.

The best part of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam is that it stays true to its characters. The writing of the film might be simple but still the making of the overcome the minor flaws. While it narrates the tale of brotherhood gone sour for money and power, it also takes a look at the lives of the females who get entangled in such dire situations.

Arvind Swamy is in top gear as Varadan and the intensity and vulnerability of the character have been well presented. Arun Vijay as Thyagaraj has his own moments and he doesn't miss out the chance to impress. STR's portrayal of Ethiraj is top notch and he steals the show in many of the sequences with his spontaneous performance and he proves he is undoubtedly one of the best of this generation. Coming to Vijay Sethupathi, he once again proves his immaculate ability to garner all the attention with utmost ease. The actor even comes up with some fine one-liners that are sure to go down well with the audiences. Jyothika gets the maximum screen space among the leading ladies and she has effectively portrayed the character. Aishwarya Rajesh has done a decent job with her role and so is the case with Dayana Erappa. Jayasudha and Aditi Rao Hydari are good, but their characters lacked the required depth. Prakash Raj is there only in the first half but he makes his presence felt immensely.

AR Rahman's songs have already turned out to be huge hits and it was good to see them being used as a part of the narrative and it does complete justice to the mood of the film. The BGM works are equally splendid and give the necessary build up to many of the sequences. Editing by Sreekar Prasad is sharp and precise. Santish Shivan's majestic frames offer something splendid.

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam is a perfect on-screen experience, which only a craftsman like Mani Ratnam can offer. It is not a routine mass masala fare but a solid gangster drama told in the backdrop of brotherhood, relationships and power. Don't miss this one, folks!