Scene Review: Suriya Plays a Detective Going Blind in Jithu Madhavan’s Tamil Debut

Suriya’s new film Scene, the Tamil debut of Aavesham and Romancham director Jithu Madhavan, is now in theatres, and early reviews describe it as an inventive but uneven experiment.

The story

Suriya plays Inbaraj, a once larger-than-life police investigator who is coming to terms with the fact that he is losing his sight. He is pitted against a serial killer, played by Naslen, whose most frightening trait is how ordinary he seems: a laid-back young man, just out of school, who blends into any crowd. Nazriya plays Maya, who becomes Inbaraj’s eyes and ears, with Lal and Anandaraj in supporting roles.

What critics liked

The Week’s reviewer, who rated it 3 out of 5, credits the film for twisting familiar genre ideas. A killer who behaves like the boy next door, and a hero who cannot see him, sets up an inventive cat-and-mouse game. Suriya is praised for choosing a role that does not cater to his mass-hero image, and Nazriya’s character is written as someone in control of her own situation rather than a source of sympathy.

What did not work

The same review finds the broad, slapstick humour around the main plot tiring, especially the antics of Inbaraj’s boss and junior officers. The genuinely tense moments are said to be few, and the review calls the film essentially a Malayalam-style crime comedy written in Tamil, which will suit some viewers more than others.

Verdict

Fans who enjoyed Suriya in Ghajini or 24 may find this experiment worth a watch; those expecting a Singam-style action film may be disappointed.

Featured image: Udayam theatre, Ashok Nagar, Chennai — Bkkumar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

• The Week — Scene review