Uriyadi is that breed of coffee which garners attention thanks to its aroma. But it’s not a rare breed either. It is definitely prevalent but not indefinitely popular. I had headed to Vetri Cinemas, Chrompet, Chennai for catching the night show of Uriyadi.

I came out of the cinemas stunned. Wow! This movie is definitely top notch. It is definitely not poignant nor is it revolutionary but it surely deserves recognition for its treatment. On the way back home, my friend, Adi, who resides out of Tamil Nadu, had asked for a review of the movie. Being a passionate film buff let me guarantee that all you need is a small request from someone to review a movie and bang you will go full fledged with providing an extensive and detailed review. Especially if it is a movie you fell  in love with; you don’t need a better excuse to give a review. And he wasn’t surprised when I sent him this review.

A majestic voice over from Arvind Swami aided by an edgy background music gives the Uriyadi its jumpstart. The movie then rolls into pushing up the plot of the story and establishes its premise firmly within the first few minutes. The director has excelled in knitting a tight screenplay that very rarely loses its way. The director infuses a relentless pace and the movie marches on with a momentum that shows no mercy when it comes to slowing down. The editing is slick and shines out. Polished editing keeps the transition from one scene to another smooth and lag free.

The first year romance portion could have been avoided, but in no way does it affect the engagement. The jokes are suitably sprinkled and are a much needed break. A heavy BGM constantly keeps the movie running on its heels and is a catalyst for building the intensity. It’s tough to not hum Mahakavi Bharathiyar's Agnikunjonraiya Kandaem even after the movie has ended and will stay in your mind for a long time. The camera work is commendable and the lighting speaks throughout the darker hours of the movie. The camera work brings out the raw and shady tone of the movie but a little more focus would have made the camerawork a masterpiece. Although the casting might not have done a fabulous job, it is apt. The heroine completely disappears after the second half and I just wish that the movie had shown how the events impact her life.

On the whole the movie packs a solid undercurrent that raises your anticipation as to what is gonna happen next. Cleverly screwing all the nuts and bolts at the right places the movie encompasses all the elements that are a requisite for a gritty watch. It’s a must watch but over the top violence might make the family audience cringe and spell a definite no for those who detach themselves from the violence genre
 

After reading my review this was the conversation that followed

Adi: Dei. Why writing essay? You could have just told it’s a must watch. Ivalavu detailaa you are giving means I should catch it. Lemme book tickets for the movie

After a few minutes Adi calls me…..

Adi: No shows here da :( How is it in Chennai?

Me: The movie did not have too many shows here also da. It does not have any shows for the weekend at Vetri theatre da. Apparently the makers had to talk to them to arrange for a show. They did arrange for night show beginning from Monday and guess what; instead of the usual and expected turnover of 100, surprisingly there was a turnover of 200. Almost many of them had attended the show thanks to the positive response from social media and many of them were film buffs who push up good movies, just like the owner of the Vetri Cinemas who voiced a similar concern

Adi: Woah...Has this happened elsewhere?

Me: My colleague Meera had reported a news which states “The show of Uriyadi was about to be cancelled in Aurora, Mumbai. But the movie watching audience brought extra tickets so that the show did not get cancelled. 

Adi: It’s nice to see that there is still hope for movies like these. But what’s the fate of movies like these? No use of watching them on TV or similar broadcasting platforms because they will be censored.

Me: Looks like Maasan all over again

Adi: What happened with Maasan?

Me: The director of Maasan,Neeraj Ghaywan and one of the producers, Anurag Kashyap had publicly requested people in Twitter to rather watch the movie on pirated DVD and by downloading torrents. Although unnecessary censorship is another side of the problem, sometimes celebrities are forced to publicly suggest people to watch movies online and through pirated DVDs because the movie runs out of theatre in 1 week. This is because it does not carry a big name associated with it and sometimes because it suffers from inadequate marketing and branding; because it doesn’t get enough support from people; because it gets run over by the big releases and grandeur movies.

Adi: Sad man. Imagine the pain of doing a good job and still not getting results. I have watched a few bad movies. What pains me more than watching such bad movies is a good movie which go unrecognised.

Here is to hoping that such movies do have a bright future in cinema!