Sathyaraj has aced the dad role for years now. It is almost as if he is the go-to man to play the Dad. In Theerpugal Virkapadum too he plays the role of a dad who seeks revenge for the injustice meted out to his daughter. The film is old wine in a new bottle. It starts off with a bang by giving us a game-like premise which eventually leads to the villain’s downfall towards the end.

It is an out and out Sathyaraj show as the man effortlessly switches between pain and anger. His presence neatly elevates the cliches in the film and helps us sit through this done to death revenge drama. I wish the film had come up with something fresh to match the stalwart's presence.

Madhusudhanan is an apt foil for Sathyaraj. For a while the cat and mouse game between the two is quite interesting. Harish Uthaman is quite good as well. Smruthi Venkat is the adorable daughter this time around. She fits the part though there isn't much to do. She did very well in Mookuthi Amman too. Hopefully we get to see her more in full fledged roles in the future.

The major let down of the film is its plot. Revenge driven plots aren't new to Tamil cinema. Even the treatment isn't entirely fresh. There's a sense of deja as we see the villain becoming helpless. Better writing with fresh scenes could have made the film more interesting. The one stand out aspect of the film is the cinematography by Anji. He has done a good job. The frames are quite pleasing to the eye. The music by Prasad SN is decent. The BGM stands out and elevates the scenes to a great extent.

Theeran's intent is laudable. But it's time to let go of the highly successful revenge formula of the 80's and 90's. It was all ok back then, but now Tamil cinema is moving towards fresher perspectives. But Theeran scores big time by letting go of unnecessary sentimental scenes. He keeps the emotions in check and doesn’t go overboard. He even opts for a 22 female Kottayam like finish in his own style. There’s a lot of promise in this young filmmaker.

But the film engages you in parts mainly due to Sathyaraj's towering presence and some neatly written scenes. We wish it had translated into a wholesome film. Sadly, that is not the case as things get repetitive.