A
grieving
father
conceals
his
happiness
with
an
awkward
smile
when
he
comes
to
learn
that
the
man
responsible
for
his
son's
death
is
dead
too.
He
silently
walks
into
his
room,
breathes
a
sigh
of
relief
and
picks
up
his
crying
grandson
and
takes
a
stroll.
This
is
one
of
the
most
powerful
scenes
of
Pandiya
Nadu,
which
unarguably
is
a
better
film
compared
to
other
two
Diwali
releases.
It's
a
quintessential
revenge
drama
supported
by
taut
narration
and
wonderful
performances.
Director
Suseenthiran
is
known
for
his
action
flicks,
and
Pandiya
Naadu
is
an
actioner
too,
but
it
also
has
this
genuine
touching
family
angle
included
with
a
purpose.
He
cashes
in
on
a
strong
family
bond
to
narrate
an
engaging
revenge
story
sans
any
commercial
clichés.
When
the
local
don
of
Madurai
kicks
the
bucket,
war
ensues
between
his
two
brothers
for
the
position
he
has
left
behind.
It's
just
a
matter
of
time
when
one
of
the
remaining
brothers,
Sharath
Lohitashwa,
emerges
victorious
in
the
battle
to
take
over
the
empire.
Sharath
runs
several
illegal
businesses
in
the
city
and
when
an
accident
in
his
granite
mining
factory
is
leaked
to
media
by
a
local
government
officer,
he
kills
him.
To
avenge
the
death
of
the
officer,
his
younger
brother
(Vishal)
and
father
(Bharathiraja)
set
out
to
kill
Sharath.
Pandiya
Nadu
has
a
very
ordinary
first
half
with
a
lot
of
focus
on
family
drama
and
romance,
but
it
takes
a
detour
post-interval
to
give
audiences
an
engaging
climax.
It
steers
away
stereotypes
and
entertains
with
a
very
strong
screenplay,
while
strong
performances
by
the
lead
cast
make
the
film
one
of
the
best
in
this
genre.
Pandiya
Nadu
is
a
winner
because
of
Suseenthiran,
who
knows
exactly
how
to
use
his
craft
and
never
let
goes
off
an
opportunity
to
pleasantly
surprise
the
audience.
Continue
reading
the
review
on
the
slideshow....
Edge
Of
The
Seat
Narrative
He
did
it
recently
with
Aadhalal
Kadhal
Seiveer
and
now
repeated
it
with
Pandiya
Nadu,
which
gives
us
a
much
needed
face
life
to
the
genre.
I
loved
the
fact
that
he
used
the
family
tie
to
never
strip
the
film
off
its
emotional
quotient,
but
use
it
poignantly
to
build
an
edge-of-the-seat
narrative.
Brilliant!
Vishal
Stands
By
The
Change
For
the
first
time
in
his
career,
Vishal
has
shed
his
action
hero
avatar,
and
it
worked
in
his
favour.
To
see
a
commercial
actor
sans
heroism
is
a
rarity
in
Tamil
cinema
nowadays,
but
Vishal
stood
by
the
change,
which
was
the
need
of
the
hour.
It
was
a
welcome
relief
and
helped
audiences
to
instantly
connect
with
his
character
in
particular.
Casting,
Biggest
Strength
Casting
is
also
the
film's
biggest
strength. Veteran
filmmaker
Bharathiraja
as
the
father
is
brilliant
and
his
subtle
relationship
with
Vishal
stands
out.
He
gives
a
knockout
performance
that
makes
you
root
for
the
actor
in
him.
No
Exaggerated
Action
Sequences
Vikranth
makes
a
comeback
with
an
impressive
cameo,
but
wish
we
got
to
see
more
of
him.
The
amateurish
style
action
is
appropriate,
much
better
than
most
exaggerated
action
sequences
in
several
Tamil
films.
Cinematography/Music
Madhie's
cinematography
is
top
class
especially
during
the
chase
sequences,
while
Imman's
tunes
and
background
score
were
satisfying.
Best
Bet
This
festival
time,
Pandiya
Nadu
is
your
best
bet
at
the
cinemas.
It's
a
dark
horse
that
gallops
with
pride.