What Is the Story About?
Rayar (Kalaiyarasan) and his brothers are wanted by the police for the brutal murder of a few people. Why did Rayar start killing people, and who is his next target?
On the other hand, a few years ago, Sivagnyanam (Sarath Lohithaswa) is looking for the right person to hold a powerful position and maintain the family’s iron grip politically. How the two narratives meet leads to the series’s overall story.
Performances?
Kalaiyarasan playing Rayar, is the main lead of the series. He has an intense and less joyous part, emphasising aggression and raw emotion. He is alright with what is given and goes about the proceedings with sincerity. It is also a quality incidentally seen among the rest of the cast.
Vani Bhojan has a good character arc that spans from initially being a supporting part of the crowd to ending up as the story’s face. She does well in highlighting the difference and showing the growth in confidence of the character.
Analysis
SR Prabhakaran writes and directs Sengalam. It is a political drama in the backdrop of a small town with an additional revenge angle.
Sengalam’s narrative takes place in two different timelines. It feels distracting initially, but soon one understands why the director made this choice.
The present story runs on Rayar’s revenge against a few people. They are powerful guys who naturally puts the entire police department on high alert. However, the focus is less on the investigation and more on the drama related to the brothers and how they go ahead with their killings. Since the acting is decent, it holds the attention here even though nothing new happens.
The past narrative involves a family steeped in local politics for decades, making them more powerful than the National Party representatives. The moves to bring them down and the retaliation from the other side constitute the proceedings. They aren’t particularly exciting but manage to hold attention. Again, the acting does the trick as everyone shows sincerity.
Once both the present and past narratives are established, it is clear that the story offers nothing new and is mostly predictable. The more significant issue is the toothlessness of the proceedings. No real stakes are involved at all despite so much plotting and scheming. The slow pacing further comes as a hindrance.
Things get interesting during the second half of the nine-episode series. Incidentally, it happens after all the cards are out in the open. The rise to power of a woman and subsequent happenings hold attention even though there is also an air of predictability here. The ending, post all the events, leaves one intrigued about what lies.
Overall, Sengalam is a political drama with a revenge angle. It is predictable and mostly lacks bite but gets on track as it moves to the end, leaving one moderately satisfied. If you like dramas in the political space, give it a try if there are no real expectations.
Other Artists?
Sengalam has a decent supporting cast. Sarath Lohithaswa is the main one among them. He has done well in that he brings an intriguing element to the proceedings even when the outcome turns out to be very routine. It helps one be engaged with the proceedings. Shali Nivekas has a critical role. At first, she looks a bit hyper and out of tone but settles well eventually. Viji Chandrasekhar is adequate in a short part.
Vela Ramamoorthy is reliable, playing a role that’s regular for him. Bagavathi Perumal is wasted. Manasa Radhakrishnan has a scene to shine, but that’s it. The actors playing the brothers are okay. They don’t get much to do. Pooja Vaidyanath and Prem Kumar work fine, along with Sarath. Pawan, in a brief appearance, gets registered.
Music and Other Departments?
Dharan Kumar’s music is okayish on the whole, barring a few parts which help build the right tempo. Vetrivel Mahendran’s cinematography is alright. The visuals are clean and simple, with no additional effort to make it look rustic or flashy. Biju V Don Bosco’s editing could have been better, as the current run time feels way too long for the plot. The writing is decent in parts but is primarily mechanical otherwise.
Highlights?
Final Few Episodes
Decent Performances
Overall Story
Drawbacks?
Predictability
Run Time
Dialogues
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, In Parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, But With Reservations
Sengalam Series Review by Binged Bureau
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