Muthu Engira Kaattaan Web Series Review | Suchin Mehrotra | THR India

In his review for The Hollywood Reporter India, Suchin Mehrotra calls Muthu Engira Kaattaam one of the most interesting Tamil shows to emerge from the OTT landscape. The JioHotstar series, created by M Manikandan with co-writers B Ajithkumar and LA Rajkumar, begins with a decapitated head — found smiling — in a sleepy Tamil Nadu village where the local police station is on the verge of being shut down. Sub inspector Sidharthan, played by Muthu Kumar, along with officer Pandiyaan played by Vadivel Murugan and the comic relief officer Thangamudi played by Singam Puli, set out to investigate not just the murder but the enigma of the man behind the severed head — Muthu, played by Vijay Sethupathi. What follows isn't a whodunnit but a "who was he," as the investigation takes the cops across Tamil Nadu and Kerala, piecing together Muthu's life through the accounts of those who knew him.

Suchin notes that while the structure — using constant flashbacks across 10 episodes to paint a portrait of one mysterious man — is genuinely ambitious and refreshing, it starts to feel repetitive and doesn't fully earn its length. Manikandan casts too wide a net narratively, with lengthy subplots and a final act that descends into conventional revenge territory, including a miscast Milind Soman as a don-like mentor figure. But even at its most lethargic, Suchin says, the series sails on its pleasant breezy tone and the endlessly watchable Vijay, who is a joy to watch as a stray wanderer living with pain and guilt. At its best, Kaattaam is the kind of gentle human drama masquerading as a thriller that we need more of.