Siruthai

Plot

Rocket Raja (Karthi) is a small-time thief who steals anything he comes across. With his partner Kaatu Poochi (Santhanam), he enjoys life to its fullest and even falls for the beautiful Swetha (Tamannaah). However, his life changes when a small girl Divya Rathinavel (Baby Rakshana) ends up in his care; he looks exactly like her father Rathnavel Pandian IPS (Karthi). As Raja discovers the girl's past, it is revealed that Pandian is an honest policeman who is a nightmare to criminals, but that one gang of criminals in the village of Devi Pattnam are intent on killing him and his daughter because he killed the son of a prominent criminal Bavuji (Avinash), who also sexually abused women. Pandian's colleagues put Divya in Rocket Raja's care so that the criminals cannot take her. Pandian is on the verge of death following a gunshot to his head. At first, Raja is angry with the little girl and breaks her tape recorder. Divya is happy and hugs him, after he repairs it. Pandian is intent on fighting back. Unfortunately, he dies following a battle with several criminals who had been chasing Raja and Divya. From police officers, he realizes that Pandian was an honest and courageous police officer who stood against Bavuji and his family, who had cruelly ruled a village. Pandian even manages to kill his son and stops their criminal acts. He also manages to fail his brother but he gets shot when he tried to save a child. Upon seeing his courage, Rocket Raja (with the help of Pandian’s colleagues) steps into Pandian's shoes and finishes his unfinished work as he himself is a thug and destroys all their properties with the help of Kaatu Poochi in a hilarious way. He also kills his brother and also takes on the responsibility of taking care of Divya, with the help of Swetha.

Cast

Production

In 2008, reports emerged that Vikramarkudu would be remade in Tamil with Karthi. Ruthika and Anushka, who acted in original, were considered for the female leads. Suraj of Thalainagaram was said to be the director. VV Kathir who directed Jeeva starrer Thenavattu was also announced as director but Sivakumar advised Karthi to do strong characters before making a mark as action hero thus the project was dropped. The project was revived in 2010 and Siva, who directed films like Souryam and Sankham, was selected as director making his debut in Tamil. Tamannah was chosen as heroine after Paiyaa.

Soundtrack

The Soundtrack album to the film was composed by Vidyasagar and features five songs. It was described as "bland" by Rediff, while Sify called it "catchy and youthful". Behindwoods gave a 2.5/5 rating, claiming that it "emphasizes the fact that it is a commercial entertainer. This may not be Vidyasagar's best album but he has given what the movie requires: A crisp album with short and sweet songs [...] Siruthai is a worthy listen to and must appeal to Karthi's fans is a huge way".

Reception

The film was met with mixed to positive response from most critics and audiences. Behindwoods gave a 2/5 rating and wrote: "Watch Siruthai if you are a hardcore mass masala fan. Since the originality of the Telugu version is retained, when released in Andhra this movie might serve as Karthi’s launch pad in Tollywood. Chances are that you might like Karthi, who is trying his best to prevent the movie from its impending dive into the depths of hackneyed void." Sify claimed that Siruthai had "come out as a festival bonanza for Tamil film goers. It is an unpretentious commercial pot boiler with ample doses of romance, comedy, action and emotion". Indiaglitz, another portal said "'Siruthai' is fit and fine for a good leap. With Karthi trying new vistas not missing out on the entertainment quotient, it is an obvious sweet pongal for masses this Pongal. Action and satisfaction is what 'Siruthai' is". N. Venkateswaran from the Times of India deemed a score of 2.5/5, citing that it "does not do anything for Karthi as an actor; what it does is to cement his position in the Tamil film industry as an actor who is a big draw at the box office". Malathi Rangarajan from The Hindu noted: "Generally, well-told cop stories don't bite the dust. Nor do dual role bonanzas. Going by the norm, this Siruthai should charge ahead!" Chennai Online stated: "Though the formula used in the flick could appeal to the masses, the director could have thought of some fresh sequences to make the movie more exciting". Oneindia.in remarked: "You can watch the film with your family because of the entertaining elements. It has a perfect mix of romance, action, fun, comedy, glamour and sentiments. It is a perfect Pongal treat for Kollywood audience. Do not miss this movie".

Release

The satellite rights of the film were secured by STAR Vijay. The film was given a "U/A" certificate by the Indian Censor Board.