Sattam En Kaiyil Movie Review: A spectacular second half makes up for a weak start

One could argue that in recent times, it has become difficult to find films with equally engaging halves. Often, filmmakers pour their heart and soul into the first half and leave the second half at the mercy of chance. On the other hand, Sathish-led Sattam En Kaiyil has risked throwing the first half under the bus to leave us spellbound with some great twists and reveals in the second half.

Sattam En Kaiyil begins on an interesting note, with an opening scene that is neither about the hero nor the villain. However, it is about a brutal and sadistic cop. This scene is followed by a regular whodunnit routine involving a murder and a hit-and-run, which are interconnected. Gowtham (Sathish), who is held for a drunk-and-drive case, is hiding a bigger mystery that he is not willing to disclose. The rest of the film is about Gowtham's secret and how it will change everything upside down.

Even though Sathish has played the lead in films like Naai Sekar and Conjuring Kannappan, this film feels like his proper entry into the 'hero zone'. It is in Sattam En Kaiyil that Sathish has completely lost the comedian in him. Since he plays a person with a stutter, which makes the character reticent, it is totally justified why he has been given fewer lines. This, in turn, amplifies his guarded demeanour and gets us excited about what he is hiding from us. Apart from Sathish, the cat and mouse play between two egotistic policemen, Baasha (Pavel Navageethan) and Nagaraj (Ajay Raj), adds much-needed zing to the first half, and it stays relevant and engaging even in the second half. Their fantastic performances keep us guessing who the bad guy is till the very end. Venba, in her brief appearance, delivers a convincing performance. However, Vidya Pradeep seems miscast, given the kind of roles she has played earlier.

Director: Chachhi

Cast: Sathish, Venba, Pavel Navageethan, Ajay Raj, Vidya Pradeep

Coming to the issues in the film, apart from the above-mentioned points, almost nothing works in the first half. Maybe the shortcomings were added as a red herring to make the surprises in the second half more effective. Even if we give the director the benefit of the doubt, we are still left with many questions. Gowtham slaps the cop to divert the attention from searching his car. Now, the cops have arrested Gowtham and have confiscated his car and could easily check his vehicle anytime now, which is counterproductive to Gowtham's strategy. Besides, what stops an already hot-headed police officer from foisting a false case against Gowtham? The film makes such bizarre choices in order to power the highs of the second half.

There isn't much to complain about in the second half, as the investigation of the murder and revelation of Gowtham's reality are unravelled in a congruent and logical manner. The pace is satisfactory throughout, more so when the film moves towards the resolution. Sattam En Kaiyil gets likeable as it progresses because the narration only develops from information already provided and doesn't get too ambitious by stepping into new plot points. Another impressive aspect of this thriller is its ability to engage you even when the story gets constrained to a single location. Drama is generated with simple elements like a loose nail on the bench. When the hitherto mute spectator Gowtham finally starts talking, his untrammelled boisterousness is on full display.

Sattam En Kaiyil is a thriller that never loses itself in a contrived sense of sophistication. Rather, the film is aware of how much it could expand and where it should limit itself. With that awareness, it attempts and succeeds in delighting us within the bounds of its scope. If you don't mind starving yourself through the first half, Sattam En Kaiyil rewards you with the grand feast that is the second half.