Suzhal has many things to say all at once

Suzhal: The Vortex in Tamil on Amazon Prime Video, in 8 Episodes had us all agog. Its setting, actors and treatment of a complex storyline generates ample curiosity, more so since the narrative constantly remains ahead of us, as two cops Sakkarai ( Kathir ) and Regina ( Sriya Reddy ) try to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of a young girl Nila ( Gopika Ramesh ) the younger daughter of a union leader Shanmugan ( Parthiban Radhakrishnan ) who has this very strange propensity to repel those close to him. We are told his wife has joined an ashram while his elder daughter Nandini ( Aishwarya Rajesh ) has just fled from the small town where this plot unravels like a jumpy Japanese doll. I am not too sure that the pieces of the jagged jigsaw finally hold together. No doubt writers Gayatri & Pushkar keep us invested from the first episode to the eighth. By then the storyline has gone from a kidnapping incident to an elopement situation, to a suicide pact, to a double murder, to child abuse. Wait, let me catch my breath. Staying alert to the seismic changes in the temperamental flow of the storyline requires viewers to invest in every episode. If you skip portions you are bound to miss plot links: something or the other is constantly happening. This could be either problematic or gainful for the viewer depending on how much time he is willing to invest into the series.

Without a shred of doubt, the serial’s architects know how to build suspense and generate curiosity in viewers. From its opening when Sakkarai’s wedding to a sweet local nurse is announced, to the climax in a cemetery when the repulsive villain is revealed, the narrative follows a non-linear consciously twitchy temperament wherein we are constantly dragged into surprises which are not always welcome. Often the plot feels over-burdened with events. The factory union politics never quite merges into the main plot about a very public elopement and a very private domestic abuse. Also, the series is tonally raw. The overall production could have been done with more finesse. Agreed that the characters are rustic rough aggressive and unsophisticated. But did the narration have to follow suit? Nonetheless, Suzhal is an original persuasive and pertinent work. Its intention to expose the fissures in a joint family is never in doubt. The performances are surprisingly poised, especially the ever-reliable Aishwarya Rajesh who has to bear the brunt of the series’s exacerbated over-eventful narrative temperament (at one point she falls on the floor in a fit for no particular reason). Kathir as a cop struggling to keep his suddenly-accelerated professional life in a balance with his marriage plans, keeps his calm amidst the growing hysteria. Shreya Reddy’s hard-nosed cop troubled mother act is strongly reminiscent of Tabu in Drishyam . The series is set during the Mayana Kolloi 9-day festival in Tamil Nadu. This is where all the colour in the multi-track plot comes in. Suzhal is never short of surprises. But its relentless pursuit of attention-grabbing tactics gives the narrative a tone of breathlessness and uneasiness. Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.