'Muthu Engira Kaattaan' Series Review: Vijay Sethupathi Powers A Spectacular Setup That Deserved A Deeper Series

There are no doubts about the intrigue the first few episodes of Muthu Engira Kaattaan manufactures within you, right from the moment it begins with the smiling decapitated head of Vijay Sethupathi. This severed head is placed at a certain height with a backdrop of mountains right behind it, as the camera cuts to extreme wides that remind one of just how odd it all is. And yet, the image we’re left with is anything but macabre. As we pause to observe Muthu’s (Vijay Sethupathi) contended smile in his final resting place, we recall visions of the laughing Buddha. Instead of worrying about how his head got there and what happened to his missing body, it’s this smile that gives rise to a dozen intriguing questions. As setups go, one can’t think of a better place to begin for a puzzling character study.

Puzzling also seems to be the operating term to understand the real structure of M Manikandan’s 10-part limited series. Like blind men groping in the dark, we listen to multiple interpretations of each character’s memories of Muthu and the events that make him unforgettable, even after years. From a saviour to gangster, a madman to an empath, we try to piece together the man behind the myth; Manikandan’s writing is such that we’re not expected to have one answer to all the questions about Muthu. Oftentimes, the best way to answer these are by accepting that Muthu is all of the above.

The mood is that of a dark comedy and the characters chosen to investigate Muthu’s whereabouts add several layers to the first few episodes. For one, this head appears to have emerged at a village that is so devoid of drama that this place does not even require a police station anymore. These police officers are shocked at the discovery, and they appear clueless about where to begin with the investigation. And beneath this layer is that of a group of aimless, directionless police officers, gradually finding meaning in their lives thanks to the meaningful pursuits of a criminal.

Some of these are surprisingly touching, like the incident where Muthu chooses to buy out an entire restaurant, after he witnesses the owner treating an aged waiter poorly. For this waiter, this chance meeting with Muthu turns his life around, giving Muthu the place he had reserved only for Gods. Although not as pious, this is pretty much how Sittu (Abi Nakshatra) remembers Muthu, too. As a dancer, it was Muthu’s support that ensured she could travel all along Tamil Nadu without getting harassed by lecherous men.

But it’s Muthu’s alter-ego as the feared Kaattaan that creates doubts about who he really is. As long as we think of Muthu as a man in repentance, trying to find peace after all that he’s been through, the series takes the form of a spiritual personal drama about awaiting death. But the moment the show shifts gears to tell you all about Kaattaan, we’re in a space that feels too familiar to matter. From a saviour on his route to redemption, the older timelines present Kaattaan as just another rogue, turning into a gangster’s handyman and nothing more.

The series also loses its way and transforms into an elaborate backstory about gang rivalries, stolen money, and acts of revenge. But just as the action shifts from rural Tamil Nadu to urban Kerala, the characters begin to lose their edge and their texture. It’s also a show that suffers from a sudden loss of quality in this shift. Dialogues feel stilted and basic and the performances of smaller characters are further worsened by untrained actors. The rivalry between gangs is not worth taking seriously and the switch between three languages (Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam) further alienate us from the character study it first sets out to be.

So, when the show finally returns to Tamil Nadu to take us into the final chapters of the real Muthu, it feels like it’s too little, too late. His love story leaves no impact on us, and we do not fully understand the need for Muthu to have been so devoted to a gang that has no redeeming qualities. The interpersonal relationships do not matter either nor do we care about the big massy devolution the show takes to prop Muthu up as an action hero. What begins as a novel about the last years of a man who could only smile upon his death, the series deviates and turns into just another star vehicle. What begins with real promise, becomes as lifeless as Muthu with each new episode.