~~ Sundattam Movie Review ~~

There have been a lot of movies made on games, but most have been outdoor games, interestingly Sundaattam breaks the trend, and revolves around the game of Carrom! Sundaattam is set in the 1990's, in North Chennai, where Carrom contests are played for money! Prabha (Irfan), is a happy-go-lucky guy, from a middle class family! He is a wonderful carrom player, and just loves the game! Prabha and his friends are all members of the Paayum Puli Rasigar Mandram, which doubles up as the hub of their carrom contests! While visiting a person regarding an abroad job opportunity, Prabha's friend Tokyo ridicules a local, and he and Prabha get into a spat with the local gang, headed by Guna (Stalin)! It is only on returning to their own area does Prabha get to know that the people he fought with, are the notorious don Bakkiya's (Naren) henchmen! Meanwhile, Prabha's sister Uma's friend Kalai (Arundhati) comes to visit her, and it is love at first sight for Prabha!

One fine day, Prabha gets caught all alone by Guna and his gang. And this incident changes Prabha's life completely! After beating the drug-addict champion Kasi (Madhu) in a Carrom game, Prabha earns the admiration and friendship of Bakkiya and his gang, but also earns the envy and anger of a jealous Kasi, who wants to avenge his loss! Meanwhile, Kalai also shows signs of interest for Prabha. But, Kalai's brother is an angry and volatile cop who has been suspended from work for roughing up a criminal, and he is completely against Kalai and Prabha getting together! Bakkiya has a sworn enemy, who would go to any end to see him dead. After losing to him a second time, Kasi wants Prabha dead! Can Prabha escape Kasi's attempts on his life? Will Bakkiya's enemies succeed in taking him down ? Why are both these things inter-twined? What secret does Guna have? Will Prabha's love come to fruition? To get the answers to all these questions, watch Sundaattam on the big screens!

Director Brahma G. Dev has come up with an innovative storyline, with thrills, twists and turns at every step! The screenplay is racy, and keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats! Cameraman Balagurunathan has done a wonderful job in capturing the feel of the locales, and especially the visuals in the song sequences are very pleasing!

The Art director Mohanamahendran, has ensured that throughout the movie, the 90's feel is maintained, and has not slipped up at any point! Britto's music has been topping the charts since the album release, and the 'Narumugiye' number leaves the viewers humming it even after they leave the cinema hall!

One can only say Irfan has truly matured, as an actor! He has given life to the role of Prabha, and has done really well in the action sequences! Arundhathi dazzles as the simple and beautiful Kalai! She has emoted well! Naren, as usual, carries off his role with ease! Stalin, as the rough and tough Guna, breezes through his role! However, the surprise package in the movie is Madhu! Anybody who remembers Madhu as the timid Pachai from his TV serial days, would be in for a shock! As the drug addicted, menacing Kasi, Madhu has given a wonderful performance! Irfan, Madhu and Stalin have all come a long way from their TV days, and shown that they are all set take on the big screen too! Film Fame Productions, the producers, have gotten themselves a winner on their hands!

Sundaattam is a racy, action-packed ride, you just cannot miss!