Dangal was the last sports drama that impressed me a lot though it had an over dramatic climax which was unwarranted. There's nothing better than a good sports drama which needs to entertain as well as inspire, but most creators failed to make an impact because these stories adheres to a templated formula of underdog overcoming adversity. Sarpatta Parambarai is also no different, if you look at its overall structure but in the hands of director Pa. Ranjith this sports drama lives its life. He takes us to 1970's North Chennai settings where this boxing game is attributed to pride , grit and prestige. Now people who has seen Pa's movies clearly knows he mixes politics, inter-caste and oppression in his narration no matter what the genre is. It's a journey of a community than an individual milestone achievement.
What makes this a worth a while watch are the propulsive excitement of the boxing matches and the ring never appeared to be staged. Here the characters are deeply rooted and original.The ensemble cast is too good, the best among them were the coach played by Pasupathy, the opponents especially the dancing rose character, Vembuli the main opponent, the anglo indian daddy and Arya at its best when the emotion is Rage. My personal opinion, he couldn't surpass his best act from Magamuni movie. Interestingly the female cast is also given some importance especially Arya's wife character. I wasn't impressed with Arya's emotional act. The camera work inside the ring with swirls and glides helped capturing the beauty of this game. Each character is given ample space and time to establish and the evolution is progressive.
Its intense till interval and then loses a bit of sheen in the second half and then final comeback story is as expected. I had serious issue with its 3 hr duration with lags and some unwanted songs in between. In the end there are enough ingredients to make it a worthy weekend watch. The dialect are bit tough to follow. Personally i felt, this to be his second best film after Madras as it has perfect textures and a natural vibe to the great game of boxing as its core theme.
Verdict - 3.5/5(The Clash of Cans)