There is a tired pattern in Indian commercial cinema. It keeps building worlds so unsafe that everyone’s survival depends on one man’s talent for extreme violence. Tamil cinema, with its endless superhumans and franchise obsession, rarely steps outside this box. Jithu Madhavan’s Diwali release Scene, starring Suriya, is a refreshing exception not because it throws the template away, but because it knows how to play with it. The film has all the expected trappings, yet the real draw is the slick filmmaking and a refusal to settle for hollow fan service.
Suriya’s DCP Inbaraj ‘Inba’ is a cop sharp enough to pull off an outrageous deception: he hides his blindness from his boss, colleagues and practically everyone else. The screenplay takes some absolute, unhinged liberties with this premise, having him rely on Siri and Alexa like personal spotters to make sense of crime scenes.
You know none of these timing tricks would survive more than a few seconds outside the film, but it moves with such easy, unbothered energy that you stop caring about the logic and just go with it. It takes itself just seriously enough for the absurdity to work. Right when Inba tries to clock out with an early retirement, a serial killer shows up, pulling him back into action.
Inba’s entire persona rests on pure self-belief. His go-to mantras are “I’m the best, I can do anything, I’m a winner, today is my day.” These daily affirmations turn him into someone who literally talks himself through every impossible situation with unbroken, almost comical swagger.
Enter Eeswaran (Naslen), a smooth-talking 20-something who is a ruthless assassin. On paper, it is an exciting setup, but the character never quite takes off. He gets the full quirky-menace treatment: red checked shirts, a love for lollipops, a patchy beard, and a characteristic smirk. None of it builds into actual danger. We keep hearing about what he is supposed to have done, but we barely see any of it. Even his entourage, clearly designed to echo Andhadhun, never really makes you feel any fear or disgust.
To sum it up, Naslen is not given enough to work with, but the bigger problem is that the writing never gives Eeswaran a genuinely frightening moment to establish himself as a threat. This remains Scene’s biggest weakness. A brief appearance by Tovino Thomas, by comparison, delivers more menace in five minutes than Eeswaran manages across the entire film. It makes Inba’s eventual pursuit of the supposedly elusive assassin feel a little too easy.
Since this is an out-and-out Suriya show, Jithu Madhavan surrounds his leading man with a solid supporting ensemble. Nazriya returns after a hiatus with a touch of her familiar charm, essentially functioning as Inba’s human Ray-Ban Meta glasses. She gets a terrific action sequence in which Suriya briefly steps aside, and she looks completely at ease. Yet her part never quite finds its footing. There is a hint of restlessness in her performance, which tracks once you notice Scene does not really know what to do with her beyond the function she serves. The family comedy surrounding Inba also feels somewhat unnecessary, although the actors manage to keep it from becoming a distraction.
The homages to Suriya’s filmography are slipped in without desperately fishing for applause. The references to Ghajini (easily the best of the lot), Kaakha Kaakha, Vaaranam Aayiram, Singham and that unmistakable Suriya smile should keep nostalgia seekers entertained. Scene does briefly lose momentum while setting up its various plot strands, but it finds its groove again after the interval. Through the early lulls, Sushin Shyam’s score does much of the work in keeping the energy alive.
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Chethan D’Souza’s action choreography is equally effective in accounting for Inba’s physical limitations without making his movements feel contrived. Scene reaches its high point in an elaborate climax, where Vineeth Augustian’s cinematography, Ashwini Kale’s meticulous production design and Vishnu Govind’s sound design come together beautifully. Given how Inba depends on Maya and the sounds around him to navigate the world, the audiography deserves a special mention. It adds to the experience without ever becoming a distraction.
Lastly, Suriya knows exactly how this has been packaged around his superstar image, and he does a swell job making the most of it. Scene may not be a particularly brave or offbeat vehicle, but it has enough style, humour and technical craft to keep you with it till the end. It even ends by teasing a sequel, and as much as one generally dreads franchises, this one actually feels like an upgrade. You will know why once you watch the film.
VERDICT: ★★★ 1/2
Read the reviews of Scene by the Film Critics Guild HERE.
