SELFIE MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Selfie is a film written and directed by Mathi Maran, produced by D Sabareesh under the banner DG Film Company and distributed by Kalaipuli S Thanu's V Creations. The film has GV Prakash, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Varsha Bollamma playing the lead roles while Vidya Pradeep, Sangili Murugan, DG Gunanidhi, Vagai Chandrasekar, Subramaniam Siva and others play supporting roles. The film has music scored by GV Prakash himself.

Kanal (GV Prakash) is an engineering student who has been forcefully admitted into an infamous college by his father. After getting to know that brokering seats for commission can make one rich quickly, he gets into the business with his friends and rises among the ranks pretty quickly. He gets into deep trouble at the same pace, and one of his best friends dies. How he gets out of this mess forms the rest of the plot.

The biggest strength of Selfie is probably its screenplay and writing. The film doesn't waste much time to get into narrative, and the premise that has been chosen is something that has rarely been addressed in Tamil cinema. It explores the world of college-seat brokering and how innocent parents are being cheated by the big system that also involves the college management.

GV Prakash comes up with a restrained performance, and Gautham Menon is also extremely composed and convincing as Ravi Varma, the leader of the broker racket. Even though there is less screen time, Varsha Bollamma does well in her portions. However, the one who shines the most is Vagai Chandrasekhar who plays the father of Kanal. There is a beautiful scene where Kanal breaks down in front of his father which stands testament to both their acting skills.

At no point does the performance overpower the writing. They merely serve as a tool to drive home the point the film is trying to convey. But as the film nears the climax, it loses grip and the ending seems to be conveniently written. The engagement also faces the same fate - Until midway through the second half, the film is highly engaging. But towards the end the film becomes a bit predictable. 

Technically, the film is strong in the music and edit department. The jump cuts are cleverly used by Elaya Raja, the editor. The nature of cuts also go hand in hand with the pacing of the film. GV Prakash's music supports the film well, and the background score used for the character Ravi Varma (GVM) is interesting and quirky. Contrastingly, the  visual quality could have been better, especially when it comes to lighting.

Overall, Selfie has strong content, amazing performances by the leads, and a solid emotional base. The other technical departments also make up to an extent to overshadow the flaws. Try not to miss it in theatres.

SELFIE VIDEO REVIEW