DSP HD Released

 

DSP is a typical revenge drama that has many ingredients that one would expect from a commercial cinema if it had been made a decade ago. While Vijay Sethupathi tries his best to hold the film up, the done-to-death storyline has little to offer to both the actor and the audience. Ponram's writing does get better as the film progresses, but not powerful enough to create an impact.

We get a typical cop introduction scene in which Vascodagama (Vijay Sethupathi) beats up a most-wanted criminal and gets posted to Dindigul district. In a flashback, we are introduced to his family members, friends and his life as the son of a flower seller. Unforeseen incidents make Vascodagama lock horns with Mutta Ravi (Prabakar), henchman of an influential politician. A local inspector advises him to leave the town and save himself after the latter has an altercation with Ravi. Considering his family's safety, Vascodagama travels all the way to Chennai only to return as DSP to his home town.

Can his power and position help him in the fight against the ruthless henchman, who's now an MLA?

Director Ponram takes his time to set up the protagonist's motive interspersed with a clichéd romantic track and we are presented with the first real conflict only after an hour into the film. We keep waiting for something exciting to happen, but we are overdosed with unimaginative commercial tropes. Some of the conflicts are conveniently placed and the cat-and-mouse game between the hero and the villain turns out to be a dud.

This is Vijay Sethupathi's second outing as a cop after Sethupathi, a film with clap-worthy moments and well-staged emotional sequences. Here, everything falls flat and even Vijay Sethupathi's nonchalant performance (one of his strengths) doesn't work out in the intended manner.

Anukreethy's character has nothing much to offer as she plays the typical Ponram's heroine with a couple of supposedly-comical sequences. While her performance is decent, she needs a better role to prove herself. Prabakar's performance as Mutta Ravi is one of the better things of the movie as he looks menacing and convincing as a ruthless rowdy-turned-politician.

Many other characters come and go, but fail to make any impact. Shivani Narayanan, who comes as a cop in the second half, adds a bit of charm with her screen presence. Vemal's cameo appearance is really good, but the sequence could have been etched out better.

The film's cinematography, editing and music follow the template commercial cinema pattern and have nothing new or unique to offer, though this is not a deterrent to this action drama.

Yes, everyone loves a good commercial action film where the good guy beats up the baddie. But in this day and age, merely following this template won't suffice.