Scene movie review: A wild, funny, dark roller-coaster, starring a version of Suriya we all missed
The Indian Express · Yashaswini Sri ·
Scene movie review and ratings: Jithu Madhavan’s Scene is a chaotic, clever, frequently exhilarating crime comedy that gives Suriya permission to be himself for the first time in years
Scene movie review and ratings: There is a version of Suriya that quietly disappeared from Tamil cinema over the years. Not the brooding, earnest superstar of the Singam films or the socially conscious crusader of Jai Bhim. Not the overcooked mass hero of Kanguva or the overstretched nostalgist of Retro. For Suriya’s fans, the version of the actor’s Ayan or Pithamagan is peak cinema. The one who could be funny without trying, charming without flexing and cool without announcing it. Jithu Madhavan, marking his first Tamil film, appears to have found that version, dusted it off and built a film around it. Scene is not a perfect film, but it is a film with a personality, which, in the current landscape of bloated star vehicles, is rare.
DSP Inbaraj, played by Suriya, is a sharp and slightly reckless police officer who has been trying to take early retirement. Before he can leave, a case that he has closed many years ago re-surfaces, questioning his integrity and work ethic. A string of murders points to a methodical and intelligent killer. The investigation drags Inbaraj back in, and he needs Maya’s help, played by Nazriya Nazim. What follows is a crime comedy that balances serial killer tension with the kind of offbeat, darkly funny tone that Jithu Madhavan has made his signature.
Suriya’s work here deserves more attention than a general statement about him being relaxed. There is also a lightness to the performance that Suriya has not shown in years. This is an actor who is not fighting the material or trying to elevate it through sheer intensity. He is inside it, moving with it, trusting the director and the writing to do their part while he does his. It is the kind of performance that does not announce itself, and that is precisely why it works.
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