# Viduthalai Part 1 (விடுதலை பகுதி 1)
**Viduthalai Part 1** (விடுதலை பகுதி 1; also rendered *Viduthalai: Part I*, with *viduthalai* meaning "liberation") is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language period crime thriller written and directed by [Vetrimaaran](https://www.edgepedia.org/vetrimaaran), adapted from the short story "Thunaivan" by the Tamil writer Jeyamohan. Set in 1987 in [Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu), it follows a newly recruited police constable, Kumaresan, who is posted to a forest operation to capture Perumal "Vaathiyaar", leader of an armed separatist group, and begins to question the brutality his force uses against the local people.[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48) • [2](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/968824-director-vetrimaran-s-viduthalai-part-1-movie-review.html) It is the first half of a planned two-part film, with *[Viduthalai Part 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/viduthalai-part-2)* continuing the story.[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Theatrical release 31 March 2023; ZEE5 streaming from 28 April 2023[3](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/viduthalai-part-1/0-0-1z5351468) |
| Director and writers | Vetrimaaran, co-writing with Jeyamohan, from Jeyamohan's short story "Thunaivan"[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48) • [2](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/968824-director-vetrimaran-s-viduthalai-part-1-movie-review.html) |
| Cast | Soori as Constable Kumaresan, Vijay Sethupathi as Perumal "Vaathiyaar", Bhavani Sre as Tamilarasi, Gautham Vasudev Menon as DSP Sunil Menon[3](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/viduthalai-part-1/0-0-1z5351468) |
| Music and crew | Music by Ilaiyaraaja; cinematography by R Velraj; editing by R. Ramar; produced by Elred Kumar[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYeSfq_bj_M) |
| Setting and premise | 1987 Tamil Nadu; after a train bombing that kills 25, a special police battalion is assigned to apprehend Perumal, leader of the People's Army[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48) |
| Runtime | 2h 30m in theaters; a 2h 32m director's cut with uncensored scenes streams on ZEE5[3](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/viduthalai-part-1/0-0-1z5351468) |
| Critical reception | 100% Tomatometer from 6 critics and 93% Popcornmeter from 100+ audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/viduthalai_part_1) |
## Spoilers
### Story and themes
The film is set in 1987, after a devastating bombing on a railway bridge claims 25 lives. The People's Army (Makkal Padai), an armed anti-government group, threatens the region's stability, and a special police battalion is assigned to apprehend its leader, Perumal. The new recruit Kumaresan expects ordinary police work but is instead given menial tasks in the wilderness. He befriends Thamizharasi, a young woman from a hill village, learns about her community's plight, and draws the ire of his superiors; to shield her village from police harassment, he devises a plan that risks everything.[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48)
The political background is a government plan to open a mineral mine in the hill villages with a multinational company, which the People's Army resists; the state responds with both police force and welfare handouts aimed at destroying the movement's support base.[2](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/968824-director-vetrimaran-s-viduthalai-part-1-movie-review.html) Reviewers described the film as part social commentary, part thriller, examining police violence and institutional power through the eyes of a low-ranking policeman who has little say in decisions but is forced to witness everything.[6](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/viduthalai-part-1-review-vetrimaarans-hard-hitting-film-questions-police-violence-and-the-state-10342651.html) • [7](https://scroll.in/reel/1046613/viduthalai-part-1-review-a-blistering-portrayal-of-power-run-amok/) The Cinema Express review framed the central question as how a good man decides which side to stand for when his job forces him to take one, with Kumaresan retaining his *manasaatchi* (conscience) where other policemen follow orders.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/review/2023/Mar/31/viduthalai-part-1-movie-reviewlot-to-like-about-vetrimaarans-latest-attack-on-oppressors-41779.html)
### Sequel
The film ends at a peak moment and closes with footage from the second part, and the epilogue and post-credit scenes promise a larger role for [Vijay Sethupathi](https://www.edgepedia.org/vijay-sethupathi)'s Perumal.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/review/2023/Mar/31/viduthalai-part-1-movie-reviewlot-to-like-about-vetrimaarans-latest-attack-on-oppressors-41779.html) • [9](https://www.theweek.in/review/movies/2023/03/31/viduthalai-part-1-review-soori-steals-the-show-in-this-vetrimaaran-flick.html) As of the November 2023 IFFI press interaction, *Viduthalai Part 2* was scheduled for release in early 2024.[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48) The two parts were later presented together at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2024, where Vetrimaaran, Soori, and Vijay Sethupathi appeared for the film.[12](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/4666/viduthalai/story)
## Production
Vetrimaaran said at the 54th [International Film Festival of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-film-festival-of-india) (IFFI) in Goa in November 2023, where the film was screened in the Indian Panorama Feature section, that he had wanted to make a small movie during the Covid period, taking a crew into the forest to finish the film in 30 days.[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48) The production was filmed in the Sathyamangalam forest region, with a 15-day shoot in rugged terrain during which the cinematographer R Velraj trekked eight kilometers daily.[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48)
**The opening shot.** The film opens with a long single take showing the aftermath of the train derailment, moving through the dead and wounded before rising to an aerial view of the carnage.[6](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/viduthalai-part-1-review-vetrimaarans-hard-hitting-film-questions-police-violence-and-the-state-10342651.html) Velraj said the 8.5-minute single shot required 13 days of work using intricate photography techniques and angles.[1](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48) [The Week](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-week)'s review compared the tracking shot to the famous one in [Joe Wright](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-wright)'s 2007 war drama *Atonement*.[9](https://www.theweek.in/review/movies/2023/03/31/viduthalai-part-1-review-soori-steals-the-show-in-this-vetrimaaran-flick.html)
## Cast and performances
The casting of Soori, an actor best known for comic roles in Tamil films, as the lead was widely noted as a surprise, and reviewers called his performance career-defining.[6](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/viduthalai-part-1-review-vetrimaarans-hard-hitting-film-questions-police-violence-and-the-state-10342651.html) • [9](https://www.theweek.in/review/movies/2023/03/31/viduthalai-part-1-review-soori-steals-the-show-in-this-vetrimaaran-flick.html) Vijay Sethupathi appears as Perumal with limited screen time in this part, leaving a mark that sets up a larger role in the sequel.[6](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/viduthalai-part-1-review-vetrimaarans-hard-hitting-film-questions-police-violence-and-the-state-10342651.html) • [9](https://www.theweek.in/review/movies/2023/03/31/viduthalai-part-1-review-soori-steals-the-show-in-this-vetrimaaran-flick.html) Bhavani Sre, the sister of Vetrimaaran's frequent composer G.V. Prakash Kumar, plays Tamilarasi, Kumaresan's love interest.[9](https://www.theweek.in/review/movies/2023/03/31/viduthalai-part-1-review-soori-steals-the-show-in-this-vetrimaaran-flick.html) [Gautham Vasudev Menon](https://www.edgepedia.org/gautham-vasudev-menon) plays a government officer, a casting choice one critic called a masterstroke.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/viduthalai_part_1)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film held a 100% Tomatometer from six critics with an average rated score of 7.50/10, and a 93% Popcornmeter from more than 100 audience ratings.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/viduthalai_part_1) Critics praised the documentary-style realism and R Velraj's unshowy cinematography, with Scroll.in calling the film "a blistering portrayal of power run amok".[7](https://scroll.in/reel/1046613/viduthalai-part-1-review-a-blistering-portrayal-of-power-run-amok/) Recurring criticisms concerned graphic depictions of violence against women, which some reviewers found needlessly brutal, and editing that seemed rushed in places.[6](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/viduthalai-part-1-review-vetrimaarans-hard-hitting-film-questions-police-violence-and-the-state-10342651.html) • [7](https://scroll.in/reel/1046613/viduthalai-part-1-review-a-blistering-portrayal-of-power-run-amok/) [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) reviewer wrote that the film expands Vetrimaaran's canvas beyond police brutality, as in *Visaaranai* (2016), to the whole institutional power structure, while finding its repeated violence numbing.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/vidhuthalai-part-1-review-vetrimaaran-is-back-with-another-scream-against-institutional-power-8530143/lite/) EastMojo called it one of the best Tamil films of the year.[11](https://eastmojo.com/review/2023/06/03/viduthalai-part-1-is-a-near-perfect-cinematic-achievement/)
## References
1. [Press Information Bureau: Cast and Crew of 'Viduthalai Part-1' interact with media at IFFI 54](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1978830&lang=2®=48)
2. [Hindu Tamil Thisai: விடுதலை பாகம் 1 Review](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/968824-director-vetrimaran-s-viduthalai-part-1-movie-review.html)
3. [ZEE5: Viduthalai Part-1](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/viduthalai-part-1/0-0-1z5351468)
4. [Official Trailer, Sony Music South, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYeSfq_bj_M)
5. [Rotten Tomatoes: Viduthalai Part 1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/viduthalai_part_1)
6. [Moneycontrol: Viduthalai Part 1 review](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/viduthalai-part-1-review-vetrimaarans-hard-hitting-film-questions-police-violence-and-the-state-10342651.html)
7. [Scroll.in: 'Viduthalai Part 1' review](https://scroll.in/reel/1046613/viduthalai-part-1-review-a-blistering-portrayal-of-power-run-amok/)
8. [Cinema Express: Viduthalai Part 1 Movie Review](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/review/2023/Mar/31/viduthalai-part-1-movie-reviewlot-to-like-about-vetrimaarans-latest-attack-on-oppressors-41779.html)
9. [The Week: Viduthalai Part 1 review](https://www.theweek.in/review/movies/2023/03/31/viduthalai-part-1-review-soori-steals-the-show-in-this-vetrimaaran-flick.html)
10. [The Indian Express: Vidhuthalai Part 1 review](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/vidhuthalai-part-1-review-vetrimaaran-is-back-with-another-scream-against-institutional-power-8530143/lite/)
11. [EastMojo: Viduthalai Part 1 is a near-perfect cinematic achievement](https://eastmojo.com/review/2023/06/03/viduthalai-part-1-is-a-near-perfect-cinematic-achievement/)
12. [MovieCrow: Viduthalai Part 1 overview and IFFR 2024 coverage](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/4666/viduthalai/story)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2020s › Tamil films of 2022 and 2023*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license