Scene movie review: Jithu Madhavan ably follows up Aavesham with another unserious yet hero-esque film for Suriya

Jithu Madhavan of Aavesham and Romancham-fame brings his trademark humour to Tamil cinema and concots a star vehicle for Suriya.

Scene

Cast: Suriya, Nazriya Nazim, Naslen, Anandraj, Lal

Director: Jithu Madhavan

Rating: ★★★½

Suriya and Nazriya Nazim star in Jithu Madhavan's comedy-action film Scene.

If you’ve seen Jithu Madhavan’s Malayalam films Romancham (2023) and Aavesham (2024), you know his Tamil debut, Scene, will be the most unserious film you’ll sit through. Even something like serial murders will not stop him from rolling with the punches and toeing the line between camp and flat-out absurdity. To complain that an ‘investigative film’ like Scene is overtly convenient or not smart enough is like complaining American Psycho (2000) wasn’t realistic. The more you lean into the asinine plot, the more fun you have.

Scene movie story

DSP Inbaraj (Suriya) has left his colleagues frustrated with the way he rolls into the office with shaggy hair, in T-shirts and shorts, demanding to be catered to hand and foot. He won’t light his own cigarette, open his doors for himself, or even read from the case file. Sounds like every other problematic cop who’s celebrated, right? Wrong. Inba has a vulnerable secret he’d rather the world not know, and he'd just retire in peace.

Eeswaran’s (Naslen) introduction plays out in a way you believe you know where it’s going. You don’t. A contract killer for hire, he seems to be really passionate about helping people get rid of bodies – dead or alive. He has found his calling, and he will pursue it with nonchalance, sucking on a lollipop and looking like every other young man out there. He’d just rather not do it for free.

Movie Review

Scene

3.5/5

Comedy

DSP Inbaraj's (Suriya) secret is indirectly exposed when contract killer Eeswaran (Naslen) commits his most recent crime. Feeling vulnerable and humiliated, he vows to hunt down the psychopath

Director

Jithu Madhavan

Cast

Suriya, Naslen, Nazriya Nazim, Anandaraj, Lal

Verdict

Jithu Madhavan excels at pulling off his trademark humour in an almost-perfect marriage with Suriya's stardom in his Tamil debut. The best part? He takes none of it seriously

Scene movie review

Scene is a marriage between Jithu’s proclivity to pull off funny stories and Suriya’s stardom. Other directors may need to take notes on how to pay homage to something or someone you love, without taking it way too seriously. He also weaves in two killer cameos (pun intended) in such an organic manner that you hardly wonder why they’re there.

A scene referencing a famous song from Avatharam (1995) is entwined with a reference to a famous scene from Ghajini (2005), which goes from funny to borderline sad. As sad as a Jithu film can get, that is. It feels like there’s a reason why Nazriya’s character is named Maya, a reference to Kaakha Kaakha (2003).

But Scene is not just all fun or one expected scene after another, because once the ball gets rolling, Jithu still finds a way to keep you on your toes. You never really know what comes next, even if it might not all land. He even brings humour to fight scenes, which could easily veer into your same old commercial trope territory. One particular fight sequence involving Inba and Maya is as hilarious as they come.

What works and doesn’t in Scene

Scene follows the broad strokes of a cat-and-mouse cop-and-serial-killer story without lending it too much gravitas. Sure, there might be dead bodies piling up, but it’s more fun to laugh at how unhinged Inba’s parents are. Or how Maya’s judgmental father doesn’t really have much ground to stand on. None of these characters is useless; they all add to Inba’s investigation in their own wildly chaotic way.

But what happens with this is also that you’re so lost in the tomfoolery that you almost forget at times that there’s a broader plot to look at. And in moments that Jithu also remembers to veer things back to it, Scene delivers some of its most Suriya-like massy moments. None of it lasts for long because this is still a Jithu film, and he will find a way to humble his protagonist.

One might nitpick that Eeswaran gets a little too laid-back after a point or that Inba and Maya’s fondness for each other might be unnecessary. But you won’t find much time to complain. Because, look, something absurdly funny is coming your way.

In conclusion

Suriya truly has fun poking fun at himself and his character in Scene, and it shows. He just might have a hat trick on his hands after Karuppu and Vishwanath & Sons. Naslen also revels in playing someone with the face of an angel and the cunningness of a jinn. Nazriya is effortless as a woman who does not let her trauma define her. Given the seriousness of the core story of Scene, this film could’ve gone either way. But Jithu remains sensitive and punches up instead of down, leaving you with a Diwali film that crackles.