Oththa Seruppu Movie Review: Parthiban Oththa Seruppu Movie Review

Written, directed, produced and solo-acted by R Parthiban, Oththa Seruppu is the first such South Indian movie and only the 13th in the whole world to have just a single actor in it, throughout! At the very outset, such an effort by R Parthiban should be highly commended.

The story revolves around an individual named Masilamani (R Parthiban), a middle-aged guy who has been brought in by the Police for investigation regarding a brutal murder. The Police begin their investigation in the normal good cop-bad cop style and despite their best efforts, they are unable to extract anything coherent from Masilamani. He is being questioned for one murder but he confesses to one more and then the Police discover another similar murder.

Even before the Police begin questioning Masilamani, they receive a mail from the Human Rights Commission, asking them to treat him humanely. Almost all top level Police officers are involved in what starts out to be a regular investigation but builds into something else entirely and they even begin realising that Masilamani is just toying with them. Watch Oththa Seruppu to know what happens next...

Over his chequered career, R Parthiban has proven that he has the capability to excel in all aspects of cinema, be it acting or directing or with his writing skills. In this movie, he has proven that he can do it all and more in the same film itself. The very premise of the movie, the neat way it has been handled without making the viewer feel claustrophobic, the utter lack of coherence in the first half and the neat tying up of all loose ends in the second half, all contribute to making Oththa Seruppu a very good film. It is known that R Parthiban has the talent but can go overboard with it at times.

He threatens to do just that in a few places in the first half. Especially some weird camera angles and his over-the-top reactions in a few scenes tend to lose the viewer but all that has been put away almost immediately and balance is restored with the racy and gripping second half. Be it as a narrator, a doting father, a loving husband or an avenging victim, R Parthiban has excelled as them all. The subtle changes in his overall demeanour as well as the intricate and intense expressions in his emoting, resonate well with the viewers.

The usage of just one song and keeping the background score as a major plus point for the movie has worked in Oththa Seruppu's favour! Except for a few places, the cinematography is very good overall. The brilliant writing and the suggestion shots make the viewers forget that there are no other actors in this movie. Parthiban is known for his witty wordplay and he has brought it to the fore in a few dialogues and his usage of sarcasm elevates many scenes.

Sudharshan's editing has to be commended and the overall run-time of just 2 hours, keeps the movie flowing at a good pace. The voice modulations of all the other people who have rendered the dialogues also ensures that we don't find the other actors missing. 

Verdict: Oththa Seruppu is a brilliantly made movie that shows off all the talent that R Parthiban has!