Official Trailer:
Other than Paava Kathaigal I am yet to see a Tamil anthology series where the different stories from different directors come together with some connection to the title theme. In Victim: Who is next, anthology series on Netflix, we have four episodes narrated by directors Pa.Ranjith, Chimbudevan, M.Rajesh, and Venkat Prabhu. Victim also ends up in the bucket of missed opportunities.
Dhammam by Ranjith has a simple plot that explores caste politics with wonderful performances from the actors and impressive cinematography. Guna (played by Guru Somasundaram), the father, wants to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble from the upper layers of the society, fully adapted to the current environment while his daughter Kema (Poorvadharani) wants to break free and take wings. Perception difference between the two generations. Father is worried she will invite trouble with her behavior. Sekar and Guna don’t get along well, with Sekar exerting his power over Guna. Sekar tries to show his power on Kema and she questions him rightly and logically. A fight ensues between Guna and Sekar resulting in Sekar gravely wounded. Sekar’s men want to take revenge and they chase Guna to kill him while Sekar lies in critical condition requiring immediate medical attention. This simple setup holds our attention with its powerful images, realistically choreographed fights (the willpower to survive brilliantly depicted), and the musical score. People are so blinded by hate that they are more bent on killing Guna than saving Sekar. Everyone is a victim here, Sekar fatally injured and fighting for his life, Guna trying to survive the revengeful attacks, Sekar’s men are victims of power and hate. Saving a life (humanity) takes a backseat when the minds are filled with toxic power and hate. Riveting bird’s eye view shots give a feel that Buddha is watching us from the sky wondering what it takes for the humans to get enlightened. The fish metaphor leaves us with lots of questions to ponder – fish has to constantly keep a vigil and escape from its predators; who are the predators we need to be in constant state of vigil – real and imagined? A must watch.
Venkat Prabhu’s Confession is a thriller well made with good performances from Amala Paul and Prasanna, a good BGM, and cinematography. With all the goodness, and Venkat Prabhu’s touches, it limits itself as a simple thriller. Here also we get a twist at the end, but it doesn’t add much to the layer other than the interesting visual that shows Prasanna gets to decide whether someone ends up a victim or not, he holds the trigger 😀
M.Rajesh’s Mirrage, and Chimbudevan’s Kotta Pakku Vathalum…Mottai Maddi Sitharum, are a disappointment with boring content, badly staged, and cheap twists towards the end. It pains to see good actors, Nasser, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Natarajan Subramaniam getting wasted in these badly scripted stories.