Kumaresan is a newly appointed police constable in a district plagued by an armed resistance against the government’s mining interests. His loyalties are tested not only by the harsh treatment from his superiors, but also by the daily violence against the local population, and an encounter with rebel leader Perumal forces him to make a choice.

Often in critics’ parlance, every new film is considered its director’s magnum opus, but in the case of Viduthalai I & II – The Film, this designation actually rings true. Rarely seen since the days of David Lean, Tamil master Vetri Maaran (Ruthless Man, IFFR 2018) has created an epic tale marked by both a visual grandeur and an epic breath of life. While the first half is more plot-driven, ending in a marvellous set piece of Perumal’s capture, the second half offers an elaboration in moral and political discourses told as a dense suspense thriller, before concluding in a devastating finale.

Audiences in Rotterdam are in for a treat: while part one was shown last year to great success and part two is to be released sometime later this year, audiences can here experience the full epic story as originally imagined by the director!