SETHTHUMAAN MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Seththumaan is a film written and directed by debutant Tamizh and it is produced by Pa Ranjith under the banner Neelam Productions. It has Manikkam and Ashwin in the lead roles while Prasanna Balachandran, Savithri and others play crucial supporting roles. The film has music by Bindhu Malini and cinematography by Pratheep Kaliraja. The film is streaming on SonyLiv OTT platform.

Manikkam plays the role of Poochiyappan, an old dalit man whose son and daughter in law were murdered for eating beef. He raises his grandson Kumaresan single-handedly, and wishes for him to become someone powerful. On the other hand, Poochiyappan runs a lot of errands for Vellaiyan, a dominant caste person, to earn more money. One day, Vellaiyan wishes to eat Seththumaan, which refers to pig meat or pork and orders Poochiyappan to get things ready for it. How does this decision affect Poochi and Kumaresan forms the rest of the film.

Politics is something which affects the most basic necessities of human life - food, shelter, air and water. In a society that's ridden by caste, there is always a system that tells people how to dress and how not to dress. What kind of water to consume and what not to. In the same way, the society also tells people what to eat and what not to, and this is exactly what director Tamizh intends to speak to the public about, through Seththumaan.

The film opens with an animation graphics of a couple being killed for eating beef, and it sets the tone for the rest of the film. Once the animations end, we see Kumaresan asking his grandfather Poochi - "Why are they living so many kilometers away from the main village/town." Poochi doesn't answer it, and keeps walking in the sweltering heat, perfectly captured through Pratheep Kaliraja's fantastic cinematography.

The politics of the film is conveyed in a verbose way, rather there are strong visuals that go well with the dialogues to drive home the point. For instance, there is a scene where Poochi carries Kumaresan on his shoulders while taking him to school, while a school van full of students passes by in the background. There is another scene in a tea shop which will definitely make you applaud the filmmaker, and the writer inside him. And that writer is strongly supported by the performance of all the characters, and none of them are experienced actors.

One issue that films like Seththumaan, which speak anti-caste politics could face, is showing oppressed characters as people without self-respect, and ones waiting for a messiah to save them. However here the Dalits are portrayed with dignity and in a human way. They are shown fighting back which is a strong statement in the current times.

The first two acts of the film take its own time to move forward, as the director tries to speak his politics as well as capture the milieu. Since the film has a lot of elements that makes it an arthouse film, thereby alienating a set of people, it is Bindu Malini's music that provides some much needed connection. Overall, the film has the style and substance to create awareness on a topic that must be spoken about often. Another winner from Pa Ranjith and team Neelam Productions.