'Edhiri' short film review: Vijay Sethupathi's 'Navarasa' segment hits the right notes

This is the opening segment of the 'Navarasa' anthology

Director: Bejoy Nambiar

Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Revathi, Prakash Raj, and Ashok Selvan

Platform: Netflix

Rating: 3.5/5

Actor Vijay Sethupathi's latest short film Edhiri, the opening segment of the Navarasa anthology, is a compelling attempt at storytelling that works mainly because of the sincere performances. It revolves around what happens when the protagonist, played by Vijay Sethupathi, barges into a foe's house and kills him with a single blow. The promising premise reaches its potential due to effective execution.

Realistic storytelling

Several filmmakers have explored rage, a universal emotion, through their work. Sandeep Vanga's Kabir Singh is a recent example of such an attempt. The Shahid Kapoor-starrer, a remake of the Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy, highlighted the problems faced by the protagonist due to his anger issues in a commercial manner. Edhiri too has a similar theme but adopts a different approach to drive home the message. The short film has a realistic narrative that highlights the aftermath of violence without any glorification.

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Impressive character development

Broadly speaking, a short film can work only if the writers manage to create distinct characters. The Rajeev Khandelwal-starrer Heartbeat is a case in point. It clicked with the audience as the makers were able to do justice to the protagonist's tragic backstory, making the core subject more relatable. This is precisely why Edhiri makes the desired impact. The writing is able to project the main characters as two different individuals stuck in a similar situation, which was the aim of the segment.

VJS in his comfort zone

Sethupathi's ability to internalize the feelings experienced by his character is widely regarded as his biggest strength as a performer. His work in 96, a film where he played the lovestruck and vulnerable Ram, is a case in point. Here again, he adds life to his character with his dialogue delivery. Revathy uses her eyes to convey the helplessness of her character. Actors Ashok Selvan and Prakash Raj, however, have limited scope in the grand scheme of things.

Final thoughts

Bejoy Nambiar is no stranger to the short film format as he directed the silent short film Reflections (2005), which garnered a decent deal of attention. He later wielded the microphone for the Tamil-Malayalam bilingual Solo, an anthology featuring four segments, which clicked with Dulquer Salmaan fans but did not quite reach its potential at the box office. With Edhiri, he has regained the lost ground and proved his abilities as a storyteller.