SAITHAN MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

In simple words, Saithan talks about a man who hears voices which lead him to investigate an unsolved murder. Revealing anything more would spoil the fun. A film like Saithan is mainly watched for the surprise elements it carries, so we will say no more about the script.

After a series of successful films, Vijay Antony has established a niche for himself. Vijay has given us the confidence that he will not give us a bad film. But Saithan is something very different from his earlier works. It is an interesting blend of mystery and crime (We are not going to reveal what type of crime it is as that could end up being a spoiler).

The storyline of Saithan is intriguing by itself. It is appalling, savvy and grossly unsettling. At places, you may not like what you see and even wonder if the film is losing its track but you will not wink your eyes even once and that is mainly because of the story. It must be noted that the script is inspired from one of Sujatha’s popular novels ‘Aah’.

But one feels, the cleverness in the script is missing in the execution part. A great film is one which makes a complicated script look very easy to understand, but Saithan slightly slips in this department. The film deals with multilayer mysteries, but how much of that has been translated to make even a layman understand? The execution on the whole could have been done better. Especially during the climax about the intriguing ideas and imaginative details of how the mystery unfolds.  But once you know what the film is about, it gets lost in blind alleys due to poor execution. We wonder why a different film like this had to have a typical ending.

Noticeable skill has gone into the making of Saithan. The BGM is largely impressive and sets the mood very well. Songs are strictly below par and even look unwanted. Saithan’s cast sheet carries a mix of experience and young blood with every opportunity to shine, and they do. Vijay Antony is getting better with every film. Arundhathi Nair cracks a decent performance too. Veteran actors like Charu Haasan and YGee Mahendran are used very well.

It's not the identity of the killer that gives Saithan its kick but the way the director raises mystery to the level of moral provocation. The first half looks like a maze that moviegoers will be happy to get lost in, a criminal roller coaster with twists so unsettling with no choices. But a not so exciting flashback and average climax reduces the fun part.