<img src="https://comicvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/133921022.jpg” alt=”Pulavar”>
Ravi Murukaiya takes an avant garde approach, with an offbeat theatre-meets-cinema style. And despite being a chamber piece, the film feels fluid enough although the budget constraints result in serial-like visuals at times.
Cast & Crew
Pulavar Movie Review: Bharathirajaa’s final film is unique in thought, but uneven in execution
The Times of India
TNN, Nov 05, 2026, 8:32 PM IST
PulavarMovie Synopsis:Four individuals suspected of murdering and robbing a rich couple are sent to a retired police officer with the hope of getting a confession. What experience awaits them and will there be a confession?Pulavar Movie Review:Debutant Ravi Murukaiya takes the road less travelled with Pulavar, which is interesting for two reasons: It’s the final film of the legendary Bharathirajaa (both his stature and performance help); It’s a whodunit that focuses less on the who and attempts to find the whys and whats of a crime. The filmmaker replaces suspense and mystery that usually drive films in this genre with philosophy and social commentary.As the film begins, all we hear are sounds of custodial torture. We are then introduced to the working-class suspects, which also includes a woman, who are being sent to the home of Meiyandavar (Bharathirajaa), a retired police official fondly called Pulavar, who has a reputation of getting confessions. But even as they expect violence, what they experience there proves to be bizarre, empathetic and transformative.Ravi Murukaiya takes an avant garde approach, with an offbeat theatre-meets-cinema style. And despite being a chamber piece, the film feels fluid enough although the budget constraints result in serial-like visuals at times.But what’s interesting at a conceptual level doesn’t come together in an engaging manner as a viewing experience. The tonal shifts are uneven and bizarre — the film plays out like a farce one moment (the scenes involving Gopal, played by Vetrivel Raja, are quite over-the-top), becomes very melodramatic (the usually measured Raichal Rabecca is made to act like a tragic supporting character in a ’90s weepy) or philosophical (there is talk about farming and plastic, medical mafia, folk art, Karikala Chozhan) the next. The pace is also deliberately slow and quite a bit of reminiscing about the good ol’ glory days (as rambling as the riverbed portions in Meiyazhagan) that feel like a seemingly intellectual version of Namm munnorgal ondrum muttalgal alla conversations we find on YouTube.These dramatic tonal shifts even make us wonder if Pulavar’s house is some sort of purgatory that victims of custodial torture spend time in before they can repent their sins, take ownership of their actions and move on to the next phase. A conversation with a cremator that happens towards the end also adds weight to such a theory though it’s a bit far-fetched to see people who have taken an extreme step because of their desperation losing their conviction and confessing just because of a few empathetic acts. We can’t help but wish there were stronger moments to make such a case convincing enough. Still the way the film keeps making us think even as we watch it makes it somewhat fascinating.And at the same time, it’s also partly frustrating because it’s hard to shake off the feeling of watching a one-hour or 90-minute play/short film being stretched into an almost two-hour feature film.
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