Suzhal: The Vortex
( Series / Prime Video/ 2022/Thriller /avl in various languages )
Writers-Pushkar Gayathri
Directors -Anucharan Murgaiyan, Bramma G
Cast -Kathir, Sriya Reddy, R Parthiban, Aishwarya Rajesh
Plot
A quaint small town ,that is preparing for the mesmerising Mayana Kollai festival, is reeling under a factory workers-owner dispute and strike.
On the first evening of the festival, a mystery fire destroys the factory and a young girl goes missing.
As the police begins to investigate the cases, they get sucked deeper and deeper into the vortex of lies, deceptions and revelations and so are you !
Analysis
The story walks you through many days of the festivities, its enthralling rituals laced in faith, mythology and folklores. It also lends a great backdrop with a tinge of darkness and mystery to the story in forefront. At a certain point, you almost feel they have blended.
This series turned out to bring in many firsts for me. The first regional language series I have watched. The first time I have binge watched something for a duration of 6-7 hours.It creates as much a sense of urgency, for the audience, to unravel the mystery and get to the crux, as for the protagonists on the job.
It also brought together many aspects that I love – a mystery thriller, a small town hilly area setting lending perfect atmospherics, back drop of a famous festival lending the story a cultural nuance and riveting mix of folklore, metaphors, mystery, myths and message.
The fantastic background score and cinematography were like an icing on the cake. The cherry on top was the emotional chord and the message it ends with.The thriller aspect of the series is great right from first episode, but what surprised me was the emotional chord that it managed to strike.
The performances ,I confess, grew on me gradually and by the end I found myself admiring many of the characters and actors.
Recommendation
Mighty engrossing right from the first episode, the story gets more and more captivating as the mystery reveals itself in layers drawing you in its vortex.
Highly recommended for thriller lovers.