DSP Movie Review: Vijay Sethupathi's natural performance elevates the film with a weak plot

DSP starring Vijay Sethupathi has hit the screens today, December 2. Directed by Ponram, the film follows the story of a cop, out for revenge. There has been a lot of buzz and hype around this film. Read the review below. 

How it all begins…

Vasocdagama (Vijay Sethupathi) gets a proper and routine introduction as a cop and that is when he is seen beating up a criminal and this is just before he gets posted to the Dindigul region. Some unexpected events force him to have a tiff with Mutta Ravi (Prabhakar) who is a powerful politician’s lieutenant. A local inspector tells DSP to leave Dindigul and save himself after an altercation with Ravi before his sister’s wedding. But can his power and position help him fight against Ravi and then the MLA? You got to know to watch this on the big screen.  

A little into the flashback. After getting into a confrontation with a vicious rowdy in Dindigul, the son of a flower vendor is forced to join the police force and face challenges. 

Old story in a new bottle

DSP is an old story in a new bottle, like a wine that is tasteless. With a routine story that tells us nothing but a cat-and-mouse game that fails several times.  

Vijay Sethupathi has played the antagonist in the Tamil films Master and Vikram, and Uppena in Telugu, and these films worked really well at the box office. But in the ones where he played lead, Vijay failed to live up to the audience's expectations.

Sethupathi steals the show

Vijay Sethupathi dons the role of a cop for the second time and must say, he has done a fabulous job. It's Vijay's honest attempt at being his usual self, giving us some clap-worthy moments. He has upped the game in emotional sequences but it is the weak plot that falls flat. 

Director Ponram’s writing gets stronger as the film accelerates. He took his sweet time to develop the story and the character of the protagonist. In between all the chaos, there comes a cliché romantic track with Anu Keerthy. This romance doesn’t really fit well into the story. Anu, though doesn’t really have much to do with the plot, manages to entertain here and there.

Prabhakar has done a good job as the antagonist. Many other actors are also part of this film but they really don’t make any impact on the audience and the story as well. Shivani Narayanan comes as a cop in the second half and her screen presence adds a bit of charm. Vemal's cameo appearance is really good but the sequence could have been etched out better.

DSP's cinematography, editing, and music follow the usual commercial pattern and have nothing new or unique to offer. 

On the whole, it is time for Tamil directors to come up with cop dramas that have a lot more to do than just the family revenge.

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