Sketch, Vijay Chandar's second after his Vaalu with STR, stars Chiyaan Vikram and Tamannaah in the lead roles. Vikram plays Sketch, a small-scale, mostly legitimate goon known more by his street name than his actual name; we only hear his father address him as Jeeva. Sketch, his three buddies (Sreeman, 'Kalloori' Vinoth and Vishwanath) and seniors like his boss (Hareesh Peradi) and uncle (Aruldoss) are his life until of course, Ammu (Tamannaah) makes an entry.
Ammu is a gorgeous brahmin girl who is quite literally a girl next door - she is there wherever Sketch is as their romance buds. She starts off antagonizing Sketch but later falls for him, taking us through a well-watched trope, as she discovers his good qualities.
The first half might look a tad long due to the time it takes to establish the characters and in fact, the plot's main point opens up just minutes before the intermission.Other than this, it is slightly hazy. Not because of a complicated plot or mind-bending twists, but due to a general lack of cohesion and direction. While some mass elements and fight sequences work well, comedy scenes, even if one is loosened up, are only mildly funny. The romantic portions, especially the song placements might seem force-fitted and fail to impress when seen as an overall product.
Sreeman, 'Kalloori' Vinoth and Vishwanath do justice to what they are offered, and Soori pops up rarely and seems underused. RK Suresh and a few others appear in brief negative roles, but it is difficult to pinpoint and remember a villain as such.
Thaman's melodies are soothing, building the strongest pillars for the chemistry of the lead pair. His songs, unfortunately, impede the speed of the film owing to their placement, making us feel that Vijay Chandar could have made much better use of them. Cinematography, editing, etc, have been taken care of, not venturing too much or being adventurous.
There is an unexpected twist towards the climax that will surely surprise all audiences, so if you're a fan of Vikram and/or surprises, you can go ahead and pottufy a Sketch!
Kanave Kanave
Lyrics: Vijay Chandar
Singer: Chiyaan Vikram
Arguably the best performance by Chiyaan Vikram as a singer, Kanave Kanave is a relaxing melody that you can enjoy on a rainy afternoon. Vijay Chandar's lyrics referring to manjaa soru as "yellow rice" and Vikram's rapping are bonus treats for all his fans!
Atchi Putchi
Lyrics: Vijay Chandar
Singers: Vijay Chandar, Magizhini Manimaaran
Atchi Putchi's attempt to be a powerful kuthu song does not deliver up to expectations, as neither the tunes nor the beats are that impactful. That being said, the song might surely push Vikram fans to dance along like there's no tomorrow.
Cheeni Chillaallee
Lyrics: Vivek
Singers: Shweta Mohan, Yazin Nizar
Cheeni Chillallee is a melody with a lot of heart, sung by Shweta and Yazin. Their beautiful renditions accompanied by the strings and the Nadaswaram interlude take us into a very comforting zone without much ado. Kudos to Thaman!
Dhaadikaara
Lyrics: Vivek
Singers: Thaman S, Andrea Jeremiah, Sudha Ragunathan
In Thaman's trademark style of good melodies in an auto-tune, pop set up, Dhaadikaara is a good listen. Sudha and Andrea's voices complement each other really well but are still unique. A song to listen with headphones!
Vaanam Thoorammalae
Lyrics: Kabilan
Singers: Deepak Subramaniam, Shaasha Tirupati, Rohini
Another pleasant melody from the album is Vaanam Thoorammalae. Deepak Subramaniam's voice sounds fresh and suits the song well - it will also suit Vikram on-screen! Vaanam is a kind of track that one will like to reminisce about!
Sketch Theme
Instrumental: Thaman
Sketch theme is a blend of modern and kuthu beats, with a powerful tune phrase which results in a cool thematic summation of the film as a local, cool and stylish film. Vikram's avatar as a mass hero and his action scenes are sure to be elevated by Sketch theme!