It is a morbidly disturbing film about the sequestered and secluded life of an undertaker. It is a theme that does not readily lend itself to film-making in India --- the superstition-riddled industry frowns upon such sensitive and serious subjects.
But Director Bala, who is seen as something of a maverick in Tamil after his brooding but weighty Sethu (Seshu in Telugu) and Nanda (Nanda in Telugu), has shown that he has the strength and nous to handle such themes.
When he shows the graveyard in the first scene (something of a taboo in India) it is not an effort to
sensationalise but merely an attempt to understand the character of Vikram who is the reclusive undertaker.
As a counterpoint to the inward looking Vikram is the character of Surya. A lovable charlatan (a roadside quack, a fast-buck-making salesman on train, a no-nonsense bookie on the streets) he is the exact opposite of Vikram's withdrawn character. Surya is boisterous, crooked, impish, gregarious, garrulous and plus some more. Then there is Lalia, the waif-like polytechnic student and the deglamourised Sangeetha as the pawn-chewing, ganja-selling woman.
The film primarily revolves around the strange friendship and the innate bonding that Vikram and
Surya develop for each other. There is also confluence of Surya-Laila love and the longing of Sangeetha for Vikram.
It is a tale that is infested with the smell of the soil in our long-neglected villages. The strength of
the film is that there is no effort to pad up the surroundings with nifty settings or galmourised
surroundings.
Sivaputrudu tries to tell a tale involving four people. The narration is linear and almost a throwback
to a different period. The characters in the film are very life-like and the artistes have infused
sufficient life into them.
Surya is first rate with his vivaciousness and aggreable chutzpah. Vikram as the morbidity-oozing
undertaker is exemplary. With almost no dialogues for him in the film, he has to bank on his histrionics, and he comes out with flying colours. The bonding
between Surya and Vikram is elaborated in a touching manner. Laila is bubbly and cuddly while Sangeetha (often seen in two-bit roles) is a revelation. She has grabbed with two hands the opportunity that has come her way.
Ilayaraja's background score is sensitive and creates the perfect mood for the film.
Bala, on the whole, has shown that courage and conviction can indeed win.