Udanpirappe review: Jyotika’s 50th film is a familiar rural drama high on sibling sentiment

Jyotika’s Udanpirappe (2021), which happens to be her 50th film, has nothing new to offer as it’s a predictable, familiar rural drama anchored by strong sibling sentiment. This is the kind of film we have seen a zillion times, but it still works thanks to the writing and overall performances.

It was quite brave of Jyotika to pick a character that is torn between two key personalities in the movie. This isn’t a film where she is doing all the heavy lifting; she lets other characters steal the limelight and yet manages to leave a strong impact.

Udanpirappe is about the strained relationship between a brother and his sister. Sasikumar plays Vairavan, who is violent and known to handle almost every situation with his fists. Jyotika plays Maathangi, Vairavan’s sister, who is married to a law-abiding schoolteacher, Sargunam (Samuthirakani). An incident changes the dynamics of the relationship between Vairavan and Sargunam, who vows never to set foot in Vairavan’s house again. The rest of the story is about whether Maathangi will be reunited with her brother.

In terms of story, Udanpirappe feels like it’s stuck in the 1980s. There is little by way of novelty that one can discuss when it comes to the plot. Despite the daily-soap hangover, the film manages to strike the right chords and make for a decent viewing.

One of the reasons why it stays engaging is the lead performances. Both Sasikumar and Jyotika play their parts to perfection and make the scenes between them click. It’s refreshing to see Jyotika in a rural story. As Maathangi, a welcome departure from her usual on-screen self, she makes the character memorable because of her performance. However, the scenes of conflict between the characters of Sasikumar and Samuthirakani needed to be stronger as everything feels rushed.

One of the film’s subplots is about sexual assault, and it’s a problematic segment that makes your squirm in your seat in an otherwise endearing film. If only director Saravanan had not resorted to this, the film would not have been uncomfortable to sit through at times. Nevertheless, Udanpirappe has enough to make it a likeable family drama.

Udanpirappe is now available on Amazon Prime Video.