Sarpatta Parambarai - Pa Ranjith-Arya deliver an authentic knockout

'Sarpatta Parambarai' has started streaming on Amazon Prime Video with a lot of hype surrounding it chiefly due to the shockingly amazing transformation of Arya as the boxer and Pa. Ranjith's authenticity which audiences have come to expect from him.  One has to say that the team has succeeded big in capturing the intensity and the thrill of each move of the boxers and all the politics surrounding it as well in equal measure.

The film is set in the 70s and Kabilan (Arya) is a labourer in the port who reveres a local boxing coach Rangan (Pasupathy) belonging to the Sarpatta clan.  He never misses watching the matches of Rangan whose son Vettri (Kalaiarasan) and  protege Raman ( Santhosh Prathap) are his main boxers.  Their rivals Idiayappa Parambarai is headed by Durai (G.M. Sundar) whose boxers are Dancing Rose (Shabheer Kallarakkal) and Vembuli (John Kokken).   Kabilan himself is a momma's boy who is forbidden by his mother (Anupama Kumar) from boxing as it resulted in the death of his father.  A twist of fate however puts Kabilan in the arena under the tutelage of his idol Rangan.  Will the underdog overcome internal and external forces and emerge a victor is what the rest of the screenplay is all about.

Arya the quintessential chocolate boy of Tamil cinema has recently been experimenting with intense roles like the ones he played in 'Magamuni'.  Here in 'Sarpatta Parambarai' he has grabbed the opportunity of playing Kabilan with both hands and earned all the accolades that are bound to come his way by working hard not only on his physique but also on honing his histrionics.  If he is the epitome of masculinity in the raw and brutal boxing matches he completely transforms into a wimpy individual who shivers in the presence of his domineering mother.  His best scene is when he breaks down in front of his wife and mother as a complete wreck which moves the audience to tears.  The veteran method actor Pasupathy towers in his performance as the boxing coach and a strong DMK man.  Its a treat to watch his eyes dance around reflecting the happenings in the boxing ring in the final match.  Dushara Vijayan as  Kabilan's wife is fabulous in her expressions of romance, love, frustration and anger turning Mariamma into a memorable character.  Anupama Kumar is a revelation as the foul mouthed mother of Kabilan and is a major driving force of the entire story.  The other cast members who make a big impact are Shabeer Kallarakkal as Dancing Rose, John Kokken as Vembuli, Vettai Muthukumar as Thanigai, Kaali Venkat as Koni, Thangadurai as the announcer, Sanchana Natarajan as Lakshmi and Santhosh Prathap.  Though Kalaiarasan as usual has done a neat job his character is inconsistent and seems superfluous.  John Vijay has played the Anglo Indian character Daddy with a very cliched voice modulation.

There are several highpoints in 'Sarpatta Parambarai' to start with its the long drawn boxing sequences that are so authentic that you feel the punch and the pain.  Anbariv's fight choreography is award worthy especially the one between Arya and Shabheer Kallarakkal which is breathtaking.   Ranjith to good effect has detailed the preceding and aftermath of the emergency period enforced by Indra Gandhi in 1975 into the story.  Almost on par with the sports angle the film also depicts how boxers of that era were easily drawn into lives of crimes and became wastrels. How caste influences sports and even makes those on the hero's side turn against him is well documented The excellent production design is a big plus in recreating a piece of significance in the history of Madras aka Chennai.

On the flip side the beginning portions of 'Sarpatta Parambarai' filled with on the face expositions are not at all complimentary to Ranjith.  There are repetitious scenes of either Pasupathy or G.M. Sundar shouting and walking off while others try to cool them.  The second half loses the tempo of the first with a few unconvincing sequences like Arya turning rogue and then back to good. Its the same with the second set of training he takes in the seaside.

Murali G's cinematography gives the best ringside view to the audience while Santhosh Narayanan's music and R.K. Selva's editing compliment the film.  Pa Ranjith and Tamil Prabha have written the screenplay and the film is jointly produced by K9 Films and Neelam Productions. 'Sarpatta Parambarai' is yet another milestone in Ranjiths career once again reaffirming that he is a visionary filmmaker apart from his clear cut political voice.  In the climax fight Ranjith stamps his signature by making his protagonist win not by skill alone but by the strength he draws from every other positive and negative occurrences in his life which is the real knockout blow.

Verdict : Give a thumbs up for this most authentic sports drama with stellar performances from the cast