K. Bhagyaraj Special 1: Classic Review: “Vidiyumvarai Kaathiru”

K. Bhagyaraj’s Vidiyumvarai Kathiru, released theatrically on 08 May 1981, was his fifth directorial and was a film that was decades ahead of its time.

K. Bhagyaraj plays the lead role opposite Sathyakala, supported by Gokulnath, Sangili Murugan, Karate Mani and Suvarna.

A tense suspense thriller with a strong element of Bhagyaraj-style comedy, the film enthrals the viewer from the intriguing opening scene through to the unpredictable ending.

Raja (Bhagyaraj) arrives in Ooty in search of a job and finds himself on the estate of the wealthy Rajasekar. Not quite putting his best foot forward, Raja struggles to win Rajasekar’s approval to secure a job in one of his businesses – but surprise after surprise awaits, with the audience firmly under the control of a very creative and masterfully crafted screenplay.

To attempt a film like this for only his fifth directorial venture was indeed a brave move for Bhagyaraj. The film is a fine example of why he is still regarded as the King of screenplay writing, showing exactly what careful planning can do to a film. His scripting is modern, punchy and wit-laden while not dominating the narrative.

In terms of acting, this was one of Bhagyaraj’s finest acting performances, playing the entire gamut of emotions required of the role to chiselled perfection.

Sathyakala handles the challenging role well while Gokulnath is in one of his most memorable roles. Sangili Murugan plays a delightful role while the under-rated actress Suvarna also does a brilliant job. Karate Mani, despite a relatively late entrance to the film, is also in a very memorable role.

The fight sequences could have been better and Karate Mani’s dexterity and skill could have been better utilised, but this flaw is adequately compensated for by the strength of the screenplay.

It is with good reason that Illaiyaraja’s name appears first in the credits. Apart from the brilliant songs, Illaiyaraja’s background score is a masterclass in how, where and when to use a background score to maximum effort. His creativity in the score and instrumentation is an astounding effort and it is a soundtrack that has aged well.

A.V. Ramakrishnan’s cinematography experiments with angles and lighting and is particularly impressive in the low light or night scenes.

Vidiyumvarai Kathiru happened to be the first Bhagyaraj film I had seen (extremely late) and immediately turned me into a fan.

Vidiyumvarai Kaathiru was remade into Malayalam as Sharam and into Hindi as Pathar ke Insan.

Vidiyumvarai Kathiru scores 9 points out of 10.

Experience the magic of the main themes in the background scores (including the title music) in this valuable collection

Watch the full movie by clicking below

Read our previous articles. See links below

An introduction to K. Bhagyaraj for Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences

Sudden demise of K. Bhagyaraj at age 73

K Bhagyaraj Birthday Special