Shakthi Thirumagan (2025), Vijay Antony shines

Vijay Antony has once again picked a script that fits his style of acting. The story revolves around power brokers and the systemic corruption in today’s governance in India. While this theme has been used many times before, Director Arun Prabu manages to keep us engaged. Mangoidiots gives it a Ripe, with some caveats.

Kittu is a powerful middleman in the Tamil Nadu State Secretariat. By pimping for favours, bribing, and using his shrewdness, he gets work done in the bureaucracy for his clients. He is seen as unbeatable. Then his fortunes take a sudden turn. The story is about whether he manages to climb back and take revenge against the villain. There are gaps in logic and nothing new in the core plot, but the director doesn’t try to trick the audience; instead, he focuses on moving the story along with plausible actions.

There are hardly any action scenes and very little romance, which works in favour of Vijay Antony, who carries the role with ease. Trupthi Ravindra plays his wife in a minimal, functional role and delivers what was required. For me, it was Sunil Kirpalani as the villain Abhyankkar who kept the film interesting with his calm and composed performance. After watching the weak villains we are often shown in even recent Rajinikanth films, this was refreshing. Vagai Chandrasekhar as Subbiah and Cell Murugan as Maaran, Kittu’s assistant, also give memorable performances.

Most of the politicians shown in the film, from both Tamil Nadu State and the Central Government, can be easily mapped to real-life leaders. They are stereotypical portrayals, but they blend well into the screenplay. The background score by Vijay Antony adds the right pace to the narration.

The first half of the film is stronger than the second. After the interval, the path to the climax feels weak. We never get a convincing reason why the hero waited till that particular moment to start his revenge journey. Why not earlier? That question lingers. The climax unfolds too conveniently for him, without the force or impact expected from the buildup in the first half.

What works for the film is its narration of a relatable systemic problem, unlike, say, Indian 2. The simplicity of the story, a clear villain, and good casting make Shakthi Thirumagan a watchable and winning film.