Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu is a film written by B Jeyamohan, directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and produced by Ishari K Ganesh under the banner Vels Film International. It stars Atman Silambarasan and Siddhi Idnani in the lead roles while Raadika Sarathkumar, Siddhique, Neeraj Madhav, and others play supporting roles. The music is composed by AR Rahman and the cinematography is done by Siddhartha Nuni.

Muthuveeran (Simbu) is a teenager who has passed his public exams. Circumstances force him to work in a thorny forest, and due to an accident the forest catches fire resulting in the owner of the land and Muthu get into a tiff. Muthu's mother asks him to leave to Bombay where he starts working in a parotta shop. Soon he comes into contact with the underworld of Mumbai which changes his life forever. The film deals with this journey as it's main plot.

Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu is an extension of one of writer Jeyamohan's short stories, and the initial portions of VTK feel exactly like that. Be it the conversations between characters, the slang or the geography, everything looks authentic, and adds something to the story. As the film moves to Bombay, it slowly starts to become a little artificial. It concentrates on Muthu becoming a formidable gangster but we're not shown why he is formidable.

We can draw parallels to Selvaraghavan's Pudhupettai as far as the protagonist 's journey is concerned. But the latter shows how a 'nobody' reaches the top, amidst all challenges. In VTK, the challenges don't seem challenging enough. But the slow screenplay treatment in the first half is overshadowed by a brilliant, out of the box interval block that can make anyone go crazy.

The interval block is a proper culmination of Simbu's performance, GVM's idea, the stylish cinematography, and AR Rahman's scintillating background score. The setup and pay off is fantastic here. It also sets the bar high for the second half, but story-wise there is very little progression in the later half.

A romantic track, and a song that follows end up becoming big speed breakers, derailing the screenplay. The second half is also predictable, which affects the engagement of the film. While the film has an open ending, leading up to the second part, there are unanswered questions that should have been resolved in this part itself.

Performance wise, Simbu shoulders the film effortlessly, and his transformation from the village guy to the gangster is terrific. His homework is evident and you can't stop admiring him on screen. Despite a limited screentime, Siddhi Idnani and Neeraj Madhav score well. Neeraj especially looks extremely mature in the role of Sreedharan that is like walking a tightrope, and yet he manages it beautifully.

Technically, this is one of AR Rahman's best works in terms of background score. The rap in Malayalam during the interval fight scene makes you go bonkers in terms of entertainment value. It makes the scene look as lively and energetic, at the same time giving a video game feel. The fights are also choreographed in such a way, which works well for the film's cause. The camera work aids these departments properly.

Overall, Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu is a technically well made film that shows us another dimension of Simbu the actor and AR Rahman the composer. Gautham Menon tries something outside his comfort zone deserves a praise. With engagement issues and a predictable plot, the film is watchable for general audiences, and a feast for STR fans.