'Ulkuthu' - Packs the punch despite a conventional story

Dinesh has impressed audiences with his matter of fact performances in his previous outings in films like 'Cuckoo' and ‘Attakathi'. So the actor was riding on considerable expectations for his ‘Ulkuthu’ directed by Caarthick Raju which has hit the screens now. Does ‘Ukuthu’ pack the punch is to be deciphered.

The story is set amidst a coastal slum where Sharath Lokitashwa is a local don of sorts part timing as a loan shark (usury to be precise). His henchmen help him deal with money issues, their way – the hard way with fists. When Dhilip Subbarayan happens to take the lives of John Vijay and Chaya Singh(who plays the sister to Dinesh), it’s time for Dinesh to bucle up and stand up to have his revenge- not by total force, but also by tact. And that is what the story of  ‘Ulkuthu’ revolves around.

Dinesh has shown us real potential when he donned the khakis in ‘Thirudan Police’, but the verve in a ‘rowdy’ demeanor seems a little lacking in ‘Ulkuthu’ sadly. Adding to that his presence in alongside Lokitashwa’s towering stature is very apparent, making it a tad cumbersome to come to terms with his raw character in the movie. Dinesh’s performance in the movie is nothing out of the ordinary, but he has retained his usual emoting flavour.

Though Nandita as the leading lady has only a negligible portion in the film, she aces it in delivering a believable performance when Dinesh’s true colours are revealed. Balasaravanan’s role is one which brims with humour and the actor has justified the same with his comic body language and persona.

John Vijay's character attributes in film is something that will stay with you a little longer. His inner self is a dichotomy of working as a henchman and someone who vouches to not lay hands on women. However, he seems to take clandestine to a whole new level as it gets a litlle harder to acknowledge that he has hidden his real job from his lady for a good number of years. Chaya Singh aptly complements John's character bearing the 'homely' tag. Something startling, if you remember her tapping to the tunes of ‘Manmadha Raasa’ a few years back.

While it’s becoming a fad for directors to romanticize dons and rowdies on the big screen, Caarthick has a different message for his audience. That living a better life is no substitute to the vanity and ‘gethu’ that these characters seem to ooze out. The director has also let a sneak into how the henchmen deal with power games and situations like the killing of a gang member, in a real, unadulterated way.

P.K.Varma as the lensman has done a commendable job in brining out the coastal locations to life on screen. Justin Prabhakaran’s music score may not be striking but he wins it with an impressive bgm for the movie. Dhilip Subbarayan’s stunt choreography is something to look out for in this movie.

Verdict: The story might come off as old wine in a new bottle, but screenplay and stunt sequences hold the film together- watchable.

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