Super Deluxe Review
April 1, 2019
by Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty
4/5 stars
Life is an array of coincidences. People interact with each other in unexpected ways creating a cause and effect chain of events. Super Deluxe is a combination of multiple seemingly unconnected stories that interact with each other in similar coincidental ways. The fluid three-hour long narrative questions the morality of the so called moral boundaries created by society in a humorous but relevant way, providing insight on the lives of “morally inconspicuous” individuals who vie for acceptance from the people around them. A cheating wife is caught in an uncomfortable situation with her husband, a transgender woman attempts to reunite with her family, a god man is forced to question his beliefs, an angry son is unable to come to terms with a new truth that has come before him, a mother is afflicted with a “socially dishonorable” past, and three friends get involved with a gangster in this drama-comedy.
Super Deluxe is a step ahead of director Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s previous film, Aaranya Kaandam, technically and narratively. This multi-narrative film is a social commentary on the ideas of morality, good versus evil, the flaws in the system, and the fickle nature of beliefs. The empathy lies with characters that are deemed as incorrect by society, as they fall prey to the unfortunate circumstances around them. Their supposed “corruption” is questioned, as the audience is exposed to a society that is flawed. The irritable Mugil (Fahadh Faasil), husband to an adulterous wife, constantly describes these flaws through his hilarious rants that are often irrelevant to the situation that he is currently in. Fahadh Faasil is one of the best actors of this generation and he accurately portrays the angst of a young man living in the current systematically dysfunctional and corrupt Indian society.
Through this questioning of morality, the lines of good and evil are also blurred. In the film, one of the characters says that all people are one. Due to this everyone has a balance of both the extremes of the spectrum, and together this creates a whole. The irony is that characters that have not committed crimes, but have made decisions that are looked down upon, are considered outcasts by society, while those that take advantage of helpless people, are promoted to higher power. It is simple for the audience to discern who is right and who is wrong but difficult for society to accept.
From a technical standpoint, the film is striking and unique. The color palette is a soothing mesh of oranges and blues, not like the extreme stark contrasts seen in Hollywood films, but a light difference, using pastel colors. The narrative style is succinct and smooth. A common problem with multi-narrative films is how to keep the focus on the more interesting stories without taking away from the importance of the others. However, this film is constructed so that as soon as one story begins to lag, the film immediately shifts to another story, picking up pace. Between the stories the transitions are smooth, due to the use of different types of music.
One of the main reasons around the hype for this film was the versatile ensemble cast. Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha Akkineni, Fahadh Faasil, Ramya Krishnan, and Mysskin are some of the known names associated with this project. Vijay Sethupathi being finalized to play the role of Shilpa, a transgender woman, was by nature problematic. Transgender is a gender identity, so if women play female characters and men play male characters, transgender people should play transgender characters. Thankfully, the portrayal was completed with much sensitivity and removal of the traditional clichés generally associated with transgender women in films. Yet, in the future, hopefully, this sort of a casting should be avoided. Samantha Akkineni is as always delightful. Vaembu is the most beautifully written, and memorable character in the film. She was the complete antithesis to Mugil, her husband, as she remained patient throughout his continuous rants. Samantha Akkineni had to display a versatile set of emotions, including anger, despair, innocence, etc. to play just this one character. And she has mastered the act of crying with conviction, which is one of the most difficult emotions to portray on screen. Ramya Krishnan has a strong screen presence and Mysskin is as convincing an actor as he is a director.
Super Deluxe is a film that attempts to break stereotypes, bridge moral distances, and still manages to entertain through its witty dialogues and comical situations. The comedy does not trivialize the important issues but instead enhances the narrative, making for a more coherent film. It is a film that is made for a universal audience, including film aficionados and the regular masses, so even if you are not an avid watcher of Tamil films, this is one Tamil film that should not be missed.
