Rating: 4.5/5 (Amazing)

After creating new records with Thupakki, the comibation of Vijay and A.R. Murugadass are back again with a film titled Kaththi meaning sword. Claiming to be a film 100x more powerful than Thupakki, how does this film fare? It's incredible from start to finish. Find out why.

Story: Kathiresan (Vijay) is a thief at a prison in Kolkata. When the cops need help tracking down an inmate, he helps them but subsequently escapes. He reunites with his pal Ravi (Satish) and they plan to go to Bangkok. At the airport he falls in love with Ankitha(Samantha) and stays back. That night some men try to kill a man and Kathiresan sees them and decides to save the man. He is shocked to find out the man looks exactly like him. He takes refuge in an old age home posing as that man as he looks just like him and the old people can't tell the difference.

A multinational company wants to take down the village that these old people belong to and just as Kathiresan is about to cheat them and run away with loads of money, he finds out that the man who's place he's taken is Jeevanandham (Vijay) a hydrologist from Thanoothu village in Tirunaveli. After learning about the fight for their cause, Kathiresan has a change of heart and decides to fight for the farmers cause and how he defeats Chirag (Niel Nitin Mukesh) and helps the farmers case forms the rest of the story.

Performances: Ilayathalapthy Vijay has rocked this film from start to finish. There are just so many whistle worthy and clap worthy moments in this movie, you eventually lose count. In films we usually see Vijay the star, but in this film you will see Vijay the actor. He is simply incedible in both roles and his outburst during the pipe scene is world class. Kaththi rides on Vijays star power and he takes the film to the next level. He is flawless in the fights as usual, dances with grace, and gets to mouth some solid punch dialogues. If you're a Vijay fan, this film will be a feast for you.

Samantha is ok as Ankitha. She looks attractive enough and provided the necessary eye candy.

After Vijay, it is perhaps Neil Nitin Mukesh that does the best. He is a revelation as Chirag and uses his brains rather than brawns to get things done. His dedication and patience to learn Tamil and dub for himself must be appreciated by anyone who loves Tamil cinema.

Satish provides laughs as Ravi. Tota Roy Chowdary has a decent role as the inmate that's after Kathiresan.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Anirudh Ravichander is just world class. Nothing less. In some movies, you will remember the songs, but very rarely will you ever remember the background score to a film. Kaththi is one of those rare exceptions. Anirudh has given some BGM that's out of this world and in many instances single handedly elevates some scenes to the level. Examples are the opening credits, interview fights, interval fight, coin fight, and the pipe scene. I can guarantee you will have goosebumps when listening to the background score during these scenes. Cinematography by George C Williams is incredible. Unlimited whistles and claps for the introduction scene and the 360 pipe scene. Art is good especially for the village, old age home, and Chirag's company. Editing by A. Sreekar Prasad is fine as you rarely feel bored. Dialogues by AR Murugadass are very good and he effectively talks about farmers problems so everyone could understand it in a simple manner. Production Values by Lyca are outstanding. Fights by Anal Arasu are world class. The interval fight and coin fight are out of this world good.

Analysis: There are some films that Indians make that are commercial and devoid of logic. There are some films that are story based and forego commercial elements for the sake of the script. Very rarely do you find a film that appeals to both categories. Kaththi is arguably Vijay's career best film and one of the best Tamil film's ever made. The way Murugadoss was able to blend the burning issue of farmers and their plight without missing the commercial appeal to the film is just amazing. The sentiment created through the flashback is excellent and makes you feel for the farmers and actually makes you think about what the media cares about these days.

If a famous celebrity gets into a tussle, that will be broadcasted all day. But if a farmer who struggles to make YOUR food, the one you put on the table everyday and he is literally unable to do anything about a person coming in and kicking him out of his home, nobody seems to bat an eye. It is issues like this that people need to care about in India because farmers are literally the most hardworking individuals in the country and they work day and night to make sure the country is still surviving with crop cultivation and agriculture.

The films starts off in a stunning way with Vijay's introduction and then moves into comedy mode for a bit with the old age home. The film takes a huge turn after the flashback ends and the interval bang is incredible followed by the famous I am Waiting! dialogue. The 2nd half is more or less a cat and mouse game between the hero and villain and the court case and the highlight of the film is Vijay's outburst in the pipe scene.

Overall, Kaththi is an amazing social action entertainer with a very important message for the entire nation of India. Vijay's performance, Murugadoss's direction and story, Anirudh's background music, and the action sequences are the highlights of this film.

If you love Tamil cinema, it's a must watch and if you're a Vijay fan, it's a must watch. If you're a Telugu movie fan, watch this one because it will always be 100X better than the one our makers made (Sorry Khaidi no 150 but you got nothing on Kaththi).