'Puriyatha Puthir' Review: A mystery that unravels the horror of cyber crime

Vijay Sethupathy, does what he does best - be himself. Movies, names and occupations change but his mannerisms and body language don't.
'Puriyatha Puthir' Review: A mystery that unravels the horror of cyber crime
'Puriyatha Puthir' Review: A mystery that unravels the horror of cyber crime

The movie begins true to its title. A young girl, dressed in a white salwar jumps from a multi-storey building. Her last words are, 'I am sorry'. We don't know who she is or why she chose this gruesome fate. The tension begins to build as blood seeps off her manicured fingers but is diffused almost immediately by a song which is possibly better placed in a cabana in the 1960s.

Kathir (Vijay Sethupathy), a music director,  is introduced in Puriyatha Puthir as the good man. His friends Vinod and DJ, however, are far from that. While one of them does enough drugs to kill a regular person, the other is having a sordid affair with his boss's wife. Our hero is the epitome of righteousness but does little to stop his friends from indulging in such reckless behaviour.

He is returning from one such session of laughter over the absolutely ridiculous explanations the duo give for their devious designs, when he sees Meera (Gayathrie), a music teacher. Of course, she does some really cute-sy antics that catch Kathir's attention and he is spell-bound by the woman he saw for exactly 3.5 seconds in a bus. As fate (read predictable) would have it, they meet again and soon begin seeing each other.

While their romantic journey was expected, Gayathrie's inability to really express any emotion but shock proves to be a dampener. Vijay Sethupathy, does what he does best - be himself. Movies, names and occupations change but his mannerisms and body language don't. But fortunately, it works because of the actor's natural charm.

It is from here, when their relationship is established, that the movie really begins to suck you into a horrid whirlpool of cyber crime. The premise of the film is similar to 'Lens' which also dealt with the same subject. 

Kathir's friends and Meera all become subjects of photos and videos that could potentially wreak havoc in their lives. The mystery behind who is responsible for these videos and how they are being taken become the crux of the plot hereafter. Oh and don't forget the woman who jumped off the building.

Director Ranjith Jeyakodi, keeps you constantly on the edge, searching from one end of the frame to another for the culprit, with a desperate Kathir. The hero pulls at one straw after another, trying to get to the bottom of this nerve-wrenching drama but is constantly faced with a dead end. His attempts to protect his girlfriend from the lens of a pervert, leads to his own humiliation. And even the audience squirm in frustration.

Vijay Sethupathy is convincing as a man afraid to get himself and his girlfriend entangled in what he sees as an apathetic legal system. Most thrillers adopt silence to create an atmosphere of discomfort and fear. Puriyatha Puthir however adopts visuals and a constantly escalating background score for the same. High rise building are depicted in a dangerous manner with simple tilt shots while music director Sam C.S thrills with his beats, engaging you further.

The climax of the film which involves a flashback however, proved to be not only a disappointment but also paved way for large holes in the storyline. Instead of answering the questions you have mentally made a note of, it leaves you more baffled. That being said however, the film has its heart in the right place and addresses the matter of cyber crime from a spectator's perspective.  

So, it was a pity that several members of the audience began to walk out before the director could make his message clear: there is no point being good, if you can't stand up against evil. 

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