Pithamagan

bala delivered movie of lifetime in sethu....but now one would say he hasn't....pithamagan may well take the cake...casting cant be more perfect...music and the bg is out of the world in the true sense....and vikrams performance is outrageous...human relations is conceived in a manner that only bala can.... i would say the story,the plot,the characters and every atom involved in making this film travels along with chittan and they reach their destination or destiny rather abruptly....the scene when chittan breaks down for the first time in his life is so dramatic and real....bala is a genius in conceiving very bizarre stories with conviction and trueness....pithamagan a must watch...

An absolutely fantastic movie, to say the least!! This movie is the stand-out proof, if any were required, that Tamil cinema has been there on top with the best in the world when it comes to meaningful n powerful contributions to cinema.

It's a simple story about an extraordinary man and his relationships with a perfectly ordinary world. Sitthan is a child of the graves, born in a cemetery and lived there all his life until one day, as a grown man he is forced to step out into the world. He is caught in times he does not understand. He is totally and believably unaware of such concepts as money, the police and dining etiquette. What he does possess is an animal instinct to survive.

A street-side drug seller takes him into her fold and gets him employed in a cannabis farm. The rest of the story revolves around how he meets Shakthi, a conman who becomes his friend for life and how the two proceed through their collective lives.

The movie is commendable in in many ways. Vikram gives a stellar National Award-winning performance as Sitthan. Almost dialog-less throughout the movie, he excels in every scene, emoting complex sentiments easily through gestures and grunts. His body language is compelling, almost prehistoric and carries a hint of an unspoken raw terror. The scenes where he mauls the policemen are brutal but bloodless. In one scene where he is hung on a rod like a captured tiger, he sends a growl into the face of a policemen, with such intensity it evokes unpleasant memories of Hannibal Lecter. Simply superb.

The rest of the cast delivers the goods too. Shakti, played by Surya as the one soul who understands Sitthan is touching and convincing. The ladies are largely soulful. The direction by Bala is splendid, taking the story along with effortless ease. The fight sequences with Vikram butchering everyone are chillingly choreographed to incessant wild grunting. Though the editing could have been a lot slicker, the camera work is pretty good.

The only scenes where the movie goes off track are the scenes with Simran and her hip-shakes. A totally unnecessary song-dance sequence. Also, Laila, playing Shakti's love interest, overdoes it at several occasions. But Vikram drowns it all.

On the whole, a fantastic movie that delivers the slow-paced caffeine of a classic.

What a fantastic movie.. Awesome act by vikram .and Surya. All cast supervvvvv

I heard a lot about this movie but watched it probably because sometimes when i heard a lot about any movie i get a little biased towards watching it, as all the talk about it irritates me. I made a mistake in watching this movie earlier. 'Awesome' is an understatement. What attracted me towards this movie was the first time combination of two South Indian stars Vikram and Surya(both my favorite) of the three superstars(Vijay, Vikram and Surya). Vikram as usual gives an outstanding performance as mentally challenged undertaker, on the other hand Surya and Laila leaves no stone unturned to show their own skills and make movie better. The story in some good movie takes a second place to the characters, Pithamagan is one such movie.

Watch it for Surya-Vikram duo, rest is just extra gift to you.

Practically everyone of the main characters were brilliant. I liked the innocent and happy play of Suryan and Laila very much which contrasted nicely with the darker nature of the movie. Even Simran's dance was very good - no elaborate glamor, just plain and simple dance elements - I found it breathtaking. The characters were powerful yet realistic and believable. The police, the jailors, the rich, corrupt guys, the helplessness of poor people caught in these dynamics. Its such a relief to have a director who is original, strong, secure, no need not to copy from Hollywood. Bollywood is so bereft of ideas that no movie can survive without some item number, trying to cover up empty movies with technical whizbang - see the movie Race for example. Absolutely marvelous movie.