| Directed by | Thiagarajan Kumararaja |
| Produced by | Tyler Durden and Kino Fist East West Dream Works Alchemy Vision Workz |
| Screenplay by | Mysskin Nalan Kumarasamy Neelan K. Sekar Thiagarajan Kumararaja |
| Story by | Thiagarajan Kumararajan |
| Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
| Cinematography | P. S. Vinod ; Nirav Shah |
| Edited by | Sathyaraj Natarajan |
| Starring | Vijay Sethupathi as Manikam (Shilpa) Fahadh Faasil as Mugilan Samantha Akkineni as Vaembu Gayathrie as Jothi Ramya Krishnan as Leela Mysskin as Arputham (Dhanasekaran) Bagavathi Perumal as SI Berlin Ashwanth Ashokkumar as Rasukutty MirnaliniRavi as alien |
A dark, raw movie, with humour laced all over, and sometimes in weirdest spots. It is a mélange of four different parallel stories (Vijay Sethupathi; Samantha and Fahadh; Ramya Krishnan and Myskin; the four teenage boys) that are related but not in a linear fashion. Also, these four tracks get intertwined at some point, but certainly not at the culmination. Each track has its own end.
The entire story is happening in a span of 24 hours. The incident that happens in one story triggers the rest of the happenings. The director dwells into the chaos theory and the butterfly effect; and culminates philosophically, into the oneness of all beings.
The movie is more in line with what is happening today – about beliefs, commitments, sex, philosophy, inclusivity, AI and, overall life in general, with a good dose of message at the end. I’m sure this would be the boldest movie done by all the characters as, there are no restrictions (particularly language). That being said, the sexual content is only implied. There are quite a few scenes that can churn your stomach.
Artistic value adds –
The sepia colour tones used highlight the poignancy of the story.
The camera angles used are just amazing; it is always through a window or a door, highlighting how the characters are trapped in their own different ways – Vijay Sethupathi in his identity, Fahadh and Samantha in an unhappy wedding, Myskin in his Godly illusion, the boys, for whom sex is the be all and end all of life.
The cool blue colour is splashed all over in every scene; however, the characters living in these spaces are not cool and stable, but very volatile; each with their own baggage.
Vijay Sethupathi’s Shilpa is not vulgar in any sense – in fact, it will make one feel sympathetic towards transgender people and would make one think about being inclusive. Samantha and Fahadh, Ramya Krishnan, Myskin, the little boy Raasukkutty and his mother Jothi (Gayathrie) – everyone has done their role to perfection. How can the villain SI Berlin be forgotten – he reeks just nausea in all his scenes – and the audience would certainly feel a sense of relief at his final destiny.
The characters are unapologetic of their actions, which is a rarity in Tamil Cinema.
Of the many fantastic dialogues, two really stood out
- Rasukutty tells Shilpa, you be a man or a woman, it is your choice. How can you punish my mom and myself when we have accepted you, just as how you are.
- Ramya’s Leela says it is all in the point of view – if one sees a porn star in me, or the Goddess that I have acted as, it is just their reality. Mine is that, I am just Leela
The BGM by Yuvan was superb and very apt for the scenes, intensifying the ongoing. A great relief in this movie is that there are no songs in this 2:45 hours’ movie.
The only negative that I felt in the movie was its length. Certainly, the movie could have been cut by about 10 minutes at least, particularly in those scenes involving the missionaries. That would have made the move more taut and edgy.
Though it is not everyone’s cup of tea, Super Deluxe is a wonderful movie, but certainly not to be watched with the kids. More than a movie, Super Deluxe is an experience, not just another random show.
My rating:
4.5 / 5