No, not in terms of acting, but the choices he makes and the kind of characters he plays. Vijay Sethupathi, as an actor, reminds you of Kamal Haasan in the 80s. Of all the 200-odd Tamil films, why does Sharath Lohitashwa feature in most of the films, merely as a villain? But Singam Puli gives a remarkable performance - as a comedian and a character artist. What do you have to say about Singam Puli, who gives a pose like Marilyn Monroe for the song Nethu Rathiri? Rural films in Tamil cinema would invariably have Soori playing the sidekick. So there are MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Vijay and Ajith references that are beautifully crafted. You know he's gonna trash the rowdies, but Vijay gives an ode to heroes who have been traditionally characterised by machismo. There's a superb stretch early in the film that establishes the kind of hero that Vijay Sethupathi is. Remember the scene from Virumaandi, where Kamal tames the bull in a similar setting? Here, it's Vijay Sethupathi. Anbu has a doting brother Maayi (Pasupathy), who decides to marry her off. He catches hold of a snake, while he gazes at Anbu and says, "Idhu nalla pambu." But the reality is different. Kathir (Bobby Simha) gets a lovely introduction. When Anbu meets Karuppan for the first time, she gives him a tight slap. In fact, the heroine Anbuselvi (Tanya, who's really good), seems to have been written after Annalakshmi, in a sense that the latter is the one who tames a bull-like Virumaandi in the previous film. Or due to Pasupathy, who, sort of, reprises his Kothala role from Virumaandi with less violence and cunningness. It could be due to the jallikattu portion and Vijay Sethupathi's characterisation, who plays a bull-tamer Karuppan. Half an hour into the film, Karuppan is a wonderful reminiscent of Kamal Haasan's fascinating Virumaandi.
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