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Viduthalai Part 2

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Viduthalai Part 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byVetrimaaran
Screenplay byVetrimaaran
Manimaran
Dialogues by
  • Thai. Kandasaamy
  • Manimaran
  • Vetrimaaran
Based onThunaivan
by B. Jeyamohan Vengaichami
by Thangam[1]
Produced byElred Kumar
Vetrimaaran
Starring
CinematographyR. Velraj
Edited byR. Ramar
Music byIlaiyaraaja
Production
companies
Distributed byRed Giant Movies
Release dates
Running time
171 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹65–70 crore (shared with Part 1)[3][4]
Box officeest. ₹63 crore[5]

Viduthalai Part 2 (transl. Freedom Part 2; stylised as Viduthalai Part-II) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language period political crime thriller film directed and co-produced by Vetrimaaran under RS Infotainment and Grass Root Film Company. The direct sequel to Viduthalai Part 1 (2023), it is the second of a two-part adaptation of Jeyamohan's short story Thunaivan (transl. Companion). It follows the travels of a police constable amidst an operation to apprehend a revolutionary. Vijay Sethupathi, Soori, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Bhavani Sre, Rajiv Menon, Ilavarasu, Balaji Sakthivel, Saravana Subbiah, Chetan and Munnar Ramesh reprise their roles from the first film, with Manju Warrier, Kishore, Anurag Kashyap, Bose Venkat, Vincent Asokan and Ken Karunas joining the ensemble cast.

Viduthalai was originally announced as a single film in April 2021, while the principal photography had commenced in the previous December, shooting predominantly in Sathyamangalam and Chengalpattu. In September 2022, however, the film was announced to be split into two parts. The filming of the first part was wrapped by late-December 2022, while the filming of this part wrapped by early October 2024. The film score and music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, cinematography handled by R. Velraj and editing by R. Ramar.

Viduthalai Part 2, along with the first part, was screened on 31 January 2024 in the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film was released in theatres on 20 December 2024 and grossed an estimated ₹63 crore (US$7.3 million) worldwide.[5]

Plot

[edit]

In the past, a group of people make a sickle in a local workshop. The group is led by young Karuppan who wants to fight local landlords. The landlords practice a tradition of bedding with the wives of the local peasants. They claim this practice has been their birth right for generations. When Karuppan's wife is taken in by the head of the local landlord, he fights and slays him to regain his wife. Perumal vaathiyar, a teacher in the area, tries to bring the local police for the rescue of the peasants when the landlords physically torture the rest of the group. Police trick vaathiyar into disclosing the location of Karuppan. When Vaathiyar tries to bring the police to arrest Karuppan and produce him in court, the local landlords led by the son of the head, attack Karuppan and kill him and his wife. This leaves Perumal vaathiyar filled with guilt as he views Karuppan as the guide to his philosophies.

KK, a local communist leader saves Permual and admits him in a hospital. He later preaches his communist philosophies to Permal who teaches this further to the villagers. The communist ideologies is to fight for social justice and equality. KK has assassination attempts on him. It is during this time that Perumal vaathiyar comes in contact with a fellow female comrade Mahalakshmi who is the daughter of local sugar mill factory owner.

In the present, after Perumal vaathiyar is captured, police receive instructions from the Chief Secretary to shift him to forest checkpost to avoid his escape. During the walk into the forest, vaathiyar narrates his past and indoctrination into the communist ideologies. The fellow policemen listen to his fight for social justice with keen interest.

In the past, vaathiyar talks about his growing relationship with Mahalakshmi to KK. KK encourages him to get married to her as this will boost the overall morale of the fellow comrades who lead similar family lives to come into the fight against social injustice. Perumal vaathiyar expresses his love to Mahalakshmi and they eventually get married.

Meanwhile, vaathiyar joins Lakshmi sugar mill as a labourer in the name of Karuppan. He strives to form a workers union to claim for their rights. He also gets to know that the sugar mill owner has abducted a fellow labourer named Rangaswamy and killed him. Vaathiyar brings in a marxist leader from Bengal to further educate the local people who advises them to take arms to fight. The dead body of a villager is not allowed to be carried through the village streets resided by upper caste people. KK does not approve of an arms fight and this makes vaathiyar move away from him. Vaathiyar further develops the group into an arms fight and names it Makkal Padai.

The factory mill owners get together to oppress the creation of a workers union and see KK as the main threat. They eliminate KK despite vaathiyar's efforts to save him. Vaathiyar takes revenge and kills all those who eliminated KK. This involves Mahalakshmi's brother and father whom she suggests to be killed. Mahalakshmi delivers their first child and grows has hair back expressing her full confidence in vaathiyar as family man too.

In the present, as the entourage of police along with vaathiyar struggle to find the way in the forest, they ask for vaathiyar's guidance to navigate through the forest. Vaathiyar offers to help in return for a confession. Office in charge (OC) of the police, Raghavendra confesses to have killed driver Raghu. Vaathiyar further explains the truth behind the rail blast. To express their anger against the oppression, they plan to plant a bomb on the railway bridge and inform the concerned authorities. The authorities take this carelessly and allow for the blame of the blast to fall on Makkal Padai. When Makkal Padai group tries to defuse the bomb, they accidentally fuse the wires leading to a blast. This makes vaathiyar and his entourage completely devastated after they realise their actions were turned against them.

TA, from Makkal Padai, assembles a group of 100 men to rescue vaathiyar from the police clutches. He manages to intercept the police and rescue vaathiyar. The chief secretary in the meantime publishes to the local dailies about the arrest of vaathiyar. When Raghavendar informs him about vaathiyar about his escape, the authorities view it as a major embarrassment. A photographer takes discrete photos capturing the torture of policemen on women and publishes it in the Tamil Seithi daily.

They plan to bring in a new Office in Charge (OC) for the police group and decide to bring in the earlier sub-inpector of the group Amuthan for the post. Many of the policemen change their opinion on vaathiyar and even Kumaresan agrees to Vaathiyar's ideologies. Amuthan puts up a heavy gun fight against Makkal Padai group in foggy conditions. Heavy casualties are seen on both sides. Vaathiyar decides to surrender to avoid further loss of lives.

Vaathiyar surrenders to Amuthan and his group. Amuthan instead shoots vaathiyar at point blank range and orders further gun shots. This instantly kills vaathiyar and they load his dead body in the jeep driven by Kumaresan. The group of police argue with Amuthan for shooting vaathiyar and he tells them he is proud of his actions and this could lead to promotion within the ranks for the entire group.

Kumaresan who is sympathetic to vaathiyar and disapproves the action taken by his group, crashes the car at the edge of the mountain. The jeep hangs in fine balance on the edge of the mountain. He walks down the mountain into the jungle. The movie ends with Kumaresan writing to his mother about the need for spreading the message of social justice through stories. He also write how this will be probably his last letter, and if he never comes back home, she should just think that he died doing good to others.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Viduthalai was originated to be a single film. However, in July 2022, it was reported that it would be split into two parts due to the film becoming overlong and not wanting to trim the film tampering the story,[11] which was officially announced on Vetrimaaran's birthday (4 September 2022).[12] Both parts were shot back-to-back, with the first part's shooting wrapping up in November, and the film releasing on 31 March 2023,[13] but with the second part still having to shoot a few portions, which resumed in July.[14][15] As of July 2024, the filming was in its final stages.[16] The dubbing process began on 10 October with a puja.[17] On 6 December 2024, the makers announced that the background score work had been completed.[18]

Music

[edit]
Viduthalai Part 2
Soundtrack album by
Ilaiyaraaja
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LanguageTamil
LabelSony Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd.
ProducerIlaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja chronology
Jama
(2024) 		Viduthalai Part 2
(2024) 		Padai Thalaivan
(TBA)
Singles from Viduthalai Part 2
  1. "Dhinam Dhinamum"
    Released: 17 November 2024
  2. "Manasula"
    Released: 27 November 2024
  3. "Poruthadhu Podhum"
    Released: 28 November 2024
Jukebox
Viduthalai Part 2 – Jukebox on YouTube

The film's soundtrack is composed by Ilaiyaraaja, who also composed the first part. He had composed the songs for the film in his newly launched music studio in Kodambakkam, after his fallout with Prasad Studios where he recorded songs for nearly four decades;[19] It marks his first work being recorded at his new studio where music composition of the film began in February 2021.[20] As of May 2021, Ilaiyaraaja recorded three out of eight songs being planned for the film and are touted to be "situational numbers" as per sources.[21] The music rights were purchased by Sony Music India.[citation needed] The first single "Dhinam Dhinamum" sung and written by Ilaiyaraaja was released on 17 November 2024.[22] The second single "Manasula" was released on 27 November 2024.[23] The third single "Poruthadhu Podhum" was released on 28 November 2024.[24]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Manasula"IlaiyaraajaSanjay Subrahmanyan, Ananya Bhat4:08
2."Poruthadhu Podham"YugabharathiYogi B4:34
3."Dhinam Dhinamum"IlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraaja, Ananya Bhat5:44
4."Iruttu Kaattula"YugabharathiSuganthi5:34

Release

[edit]

Premiere

[edit]

The film along with its predecessor had its world premiere at 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam on 31 January 2024.[25][26]

Theatrical

[edit]

Viduthalai Part 2 was theatrically released on 20 December 2024.[27] The distribution rights for Tamil Nadu were acquired by Red Giant Movies.[28]

Home media

[edit]

The post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Amazon Prime Video, where it began streaming from 19 January 2025.[29]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

Desimartini reported that Viduthalai Part 2 received positive reviews from critics, who praised the film's "gripping narrative" but were critical of the dubbing.[30] OTTPlay noted that they were more mixed, with criticism towards the "preachiness".[31]

Risha Ganguly of Times Now gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Viduthalai Part 2 is a bold attempt at closing an ambitious story, with Vetrimaaran’s signature storytelling and strong performances standing out. However, the uneven pacing and lack of narrative clarity prevent it from reaching the heights of its predecessor."[32] Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "This Vetrimaaran-Vijay Sethupathi film is mostly grim that drives home the weight of a decision, and the weight of choosing a path, and how it is the path that makes a revolutionary decide their weapon."[33] M Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Where Viduthalai: Part 2 feels underwhelming is in not being a truly compelling film. Like the cops circling about the same places inside the forest, the film keeps reiterating the same points [...] but it cannot provide a permanent solution."[34]

Janani K of India Today rated 3/5 stars and wrote "Viduthalai Part 2 gives proper closure to the characters and the story, and it is a commendable effort. With some recurring lip-sync issues and a dialogue-driven storyline, the sequel ends the story with many progressive ideologies and opinions on display."[35] Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Viduthalai Part 2 leans too heavily on theorising and sloganeering. Vaathiyaar’s lectures feel more academic than emotional, with utilitarian arguments often preferred over poignant silences."[36] Anusha Sundar of OTTPlay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "In a Vetrimaaran film where political ideologies are not just laced but outspoken, Viduthalai 2 may come of disjointed in parts but still carries a tale to be told."[37]

Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News18 gave 2/5 stars and wrote "In essence, Viduthalai Part 2 is Vetri Maaran constantly finding ways to tell you the uninspiring story, which he couldn’t show."[38] Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote "Despite a strong political core that puts out a message that’s unfortunately relevant even in today’s world and strong performances [...] Vetri Maaran’s sequel lacks the emotions that worked wonders with the first part."[39] Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote "Unfortunately, Vetrimaaran, the astute writer, seemed to be missing in this film and that was disappointing. Viduthalai Part 2 carries a strong ideological theme and is another socially relevant film from Vetrimaaran."[40]

Box office

[edit]

Mohit Dixit of Pinkvilla reported that the film grossed around ₹25 crore (US$2.9 million) after four days of release.[41] It concluded its run in mid-January 2025, with the worldwide gross estimated to be ₹63 crore (US$7.3 million).[5]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Posthumous release

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Viduthalai 2 first look to drop on this date". Cinema Express. 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Viduthalai Part 2". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Viduthalai Part 2 box office collection day 1: Vijay Sethupathi-starrer mints Rs 7 crore, doubles collections of Part 1". The Indian Express. 21 December 2024. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Vetri Maaran's directorial 'Viduthalai 2' will have two versions". The Times of India. 30 January 2024. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Singh, Nisha (13 January 2025). "Viduthalai Part 2 Final Worldwide Box Office: Vijay Sethupathi and Soori's movie ends run with below average Rs 63 crore gross". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  6. ^ நான் monitor பாக்கும்போது பயந்துட்டேன் 😱 | Viduthalai Actor Bala Hasan Interview | VJ Dhanush (in Tamil). Provoke TV. 11 April 2023. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Viduthalai -க்கு உயிரையே கொடுத்திருக்கார் Soori! (in Tamil). Cinema Vikatan. 14 April 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ " வெற்றி மாறனோட அரசியலே வேற " – Viduthalai Makkal Padai Round Table | Vetrimaaran | Soori (in Tamil). SS Music. 2 April 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Vetrimaran's 'Viduthalai' to release in two parts (in Tamil). Provoke TV. 2 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Vijay Sethupathi's son Surya to make his acting debut in stunt choreographer Anal Arasu's debut film". The Times of India. 21 June 2023. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Soori and Vijay Sethupathi starrer 'Viduthalai' to release in two parts". The Times of India. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  12. ^ RS Infotainment [@rsinfotainment] (4 September 2022). "We wish our director #VetriMaaran a very happy birthday ❤️ and on this special day we are elated to announce that #Viduthalai starring @VijaySethuOffl and @sooriofficial is being produced as a Two part epic" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2023 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "It's a wrap for Vetri Maaran's 'Viduthalai'". The Times of India. 16 November 2022. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  14. ^ "'Viduthalai 2' shoot to resume once Vetri Maaran returns from London". The Times of India. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  15. ^ "'Viduthalai 2' shoot begins, Soori shares a video!". The Times of India. 18 July 2023. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  16. ^ "'Viduthalai Part 2' first look: Vetri Maaran's sequel to showcase highs and lows of Vijay Sethupathi's past". The Hindu. 17 July 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Vetrimaaran's Viduthalai Part 2 dubbing kickstarts". Cinema Express. 10 October 2024. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  18. ^ Kumar, Akshay (6 December 2024). "Background score work for Viduthalai Part 2 complete". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Ilayaraja sets up own music studio, begins work on Vetrimaaran's film, see pics". Hindustan Times. 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Ilaiyaraaja opens own studio in Kodambakkam after Prasad studio row". The News Minute. 3 February 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  21. ^ CR, Sharanya (3 February 2021). "Ilaiyaraaja begins work at his new studio; composes song for Vetri Maaran's film". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  22. ^ "'Dhina Dhinamum' song from Vidhuthalai Part 2 out". Cinema Express. 17 November 2024. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  23. ^ Kumar, Akshay (27 November 2024). "Lyrical video of 'Manasula' from Vetrimaaran's Viduthalai Part 2 out". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  24. ^ "'Poruthadhu Podhum' song from Viduthalai Part 2 out". Cinema Express. 28 November 2024. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  25. ^ "Viduthalai Part 2 to premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2024". The Indian Express. 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Viduthalai I & II – The Film". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Vetri Maaran's 'Viduthalai Part 2' to release on December 20". The Times of India. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  28. ^ "Watch: Vetri Maaran's 'Viduthalai' gets standing ovation at Rotterdam film festival". India Today. 1 February 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  29. ^ "Viduthalai Part 2 OTT release: When and where to watch Vijay Sethupathi's film". India Today. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  30. ^ Manu, Hridyambika A (21 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2 box office collection day 1: Vetrimaaran, Soori and Vijay Sethupathi film earns double the collection of Part 1". Desimartini. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  31. ^ Sundar, Anusha (22 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2- day 2 box office collection: Vetrimaaran's film doubles up collection". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  32. ^ Ganguly, Risha (20 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2 Movie Review: Vijay Sethupathi, Soori's Powerful Sequel Is Gritty And Impactful". Times Now. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  33. ^ Ramachandran, Avinash (20 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2 movie review: Vijay Sethupathi powers Vetrimaaran's sprawling revolutionary saga that needed more balance". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  34. ^ Suganth, M (20 December 2024). "Viduthalai: Part – 2 Movie Review : A solid political drama that ought to have been more powerful". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  35. ^ K, Janani (20 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2 review: Preachy Vijay Sethupathi film brings forth strong politics". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  36. ^ Srinivasan, Sudhir (20 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2 Movie Review: When words overpower feeling". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  37. ^ Sundar, Anusha (20 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2 Movie Review: Vijay Sethupathi powers through Vetrimaaran film". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  38. ^ Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (20 December 2024). Mazumdar, Shreyanka (ed.). "Viduthalai Part 2 Movie Review: Vetrimaaran Delivers A Noble But Generic Political Drama". News18. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  39. ^ Rajendran, Gopinath (20 December 2024). "'Viduthalai Part 2' movie review: Vijay Sethupathi powers Vetri Maaran's sequel where ideology outweighs intimate storytelling". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  40. ^ Srinivasan, Latha (21 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2 movie review: Vijay Sethupathi shines in a highly sermonising story". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  41. ^ Dixit, Mohit (24 December 2024). "Viduthalai Part 2 Day 4 Tamil Nadu Box Office: Vijay Sethupathi's hard-hitting drama shows weak hold after average weekend; grosses Rs 2.50 crore". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 24 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
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