Sathiya Sothanai review: A genuinely funny film that reflects the sorry state of affairs in the police force

Director Suresh Sangaiah’s Sathiya Sothanai (Testing Times for Truth) is a gentle yet genuinely funny black comedy that wins your heart by the time it ends.

The simple story has a powerful plot that is refreshingly new, and director Suresh Sangaiah cleverly uses the sorry state of affairs in the police force to generate substantial humour.

Synopsis

The film begins with an ostentatious womaniser, who has a habit of wearing heavy gold ornaments, setting off on a journey at dawn.

Four men, who have been wronged by him on various instances, fall upon him and hack him to death. They depart the scene of the crime, leaving the dead man’s body lying unattended in the centre of a barren field for a while.

Pradeep (Premgi Amaren), an innocent youth, who is soon to get married to the love of his life, Praveena (Swayam Siddha), happens to pass by the field. He notices the body and drags it from the centre of the field to the shade of a palm tree on the side.

Taking the one small gold chain that he finds on the body along with the dead man’s phone, he makes his way to the local police station to hand over the items.

However, instead of complimenting him for doing his duty, the cops, who by now know that the victim was wearing a large number of gold chains at the time of his death, begin to grill him about the other heavy gold chains that have gone missing.

They look to pin the missing gold on Pradeep and dutifully grill him, not to recover the gold and hand it over to its rightful owners, but to usurp it. How Pradheep gets out of their clutches is what the film is all about.

Also Read: ‘Hidimbha’ review: This marauding beast doesn’t really pack a punch

Comedy works big time

Director Suresh Sangaiah proves that he has a profound understanding of the way people in remote parts of the state lead their lives.

The place his story is set in permits him to expose the incompetence and corruption that is prevalent in the police force, especially in police stations that function in remote places.

The film has funny sequences all through. But the courtroom scenes, in particular, are outrageously hilarious.

The lackadaisical manner in which head constable Kuberan (Chithan Mohan) produces poor, helpless citizens as lawbreakers in court, while murderers and gangsters roam fearlessly in the district and the manner in which the judge (Gnanansambandam) comes down heavily on him almost every day is just preposterously funny.

From cooking up evidence to training suspects and presenting false testimony to lying blatantly and shamelessly for protecting their own interests, the cops cut a sorry figure in court almost every day.

The humour quotient doubles in the second half when Pradeep escapes from the police station — not only with the weapons used to murder the victim but also with the lone walkie-talkie in the station.

https://t.co/3HINGKJga5

Saso promo Song out now
Singer: @Premgiamaren
Music by : @ajmalmusic
Choreographer: Pravin.G
Produced by : @sameerbr @supertalkies
Label: @Mrtmusicoff
Movie: Sathiya sothanai @onlynikil #saso #sasopromosong #sathiyasothanaifromjuly21

— PREMGI (@Premgiamaren) July 19, 2023

More than just entertains

However, Sathiya Sothanai is not only about entertainment. What Sangaiah does, through his story, is much more than just entertaining.

There is a dialogue in the film delivered by its hero, which actually reflects the mood of the public when it comes to their faith in the police force.

When the cops urge him to lie to the judge about the missing jewels, Pradeep says, “I have learnt several important lessons in the course of these last few days at the police station. Lesson one is that if you find something that is not yours on the ground, throw it away in some pit and keep going your way instead of bringing it to a police station and reporting it.”

While the movie is genuinely funny and keeps you entertained, it also does its job of honestly showcasing the difficulties common citizens face at the hands of incompetent and corrupt police personnel.

Also Read: Ramya approaches court against ‘Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare’ makers

Performances

Sathiya Sothanai has some outstanding performances coming from four actors in particular.

The first is Chithan Mohan who plays constable Kuberan. His timing is just amazing and the jokes work big time because of his effortless expressions.

The next is Gnanasambandham who plays the judge. The conversations between Gnanasambandham and constable Kuberan in particular are highly entertaining.

Premgi as Pradeep does a neat job. In fact, he seems to have cut down on his usual antics in the film and that has helped its cause.

The fourth is an old woman who actually steals the limelight.

Popular singer Deepan Chakravarthy, who scored the background score, does a mighty fine job.

Also Read: ‘Minnal Murali’ to be featured in Tinkle

Final take

In all, Sathiya Sothanai is a genuinely funny film that is definitely worth both your time and money.

(Views expressed here are personal.)