Regional is now national, and if you’re a little reluctant to believe that, then Amazon Prime’s new series SUZHAL: THE VORTEX is just for you. Streaming in 30 languages and 240 countries, SUZHAL’s original is in Tamil, originating from Sambalur, a small hill station in Tamil Nadu, where the Manya Kollai festival is just about to begin, the nine-day long festival in which the entire village getting involved. The painted faces during the festival, the characters dressed as goddesses, and the dramas at the fair all form a part of the story of SUZHAL.
On the very day of Manya Kollai’s debut, two accidents happen in Sambalur. First, a fire breaks out in the city’s biggest cement factory late at night, that too when there is a strike in the factory. In this accident, the whole factory is burnt to ashes, but no one is killed. The same night, Neela, the 15-year-old daughter of factory labor union leader Shanmugan, goes missing. Neela was scolded by Sanmugan for her bad marks, so at first, it seemed that Neela had left the house.
Then begins the investigation of these two accidents. As Inspector Regina and Sub Inspector Sakkarai go deep into the investigation, the story gets complicated. At first, it seems that Inspector Regina’s son Adhyasyam kidnapped Neela, but as the case seems to be settled a new twist emerges.
SUZHAL presents a new story at every turn. The story begins to take a turn after Neela’s sister Nandini comes to the village. The interesting aspect is that the story is so intertwined with the Manya Kollai festival happening there, that you get completely lost in it.
From the story of the mother’s sacrifice to the allegation of sexual abuse against the factory owner, whenever you feel that this case is about to be uncovered, it goes deeper and a new lesson is taught every time.
SUZHAL: THE VORTEX doesn’t just limit itself to an investigative thriller web series, but expands its scope to bold topics like child abuse. And explains all the taboos related to it very seriously. You understand what mental state a child goes through when he goes through such a situation.
The first four episodes of SUZHAL are directed by Bramma and the next four by Anuchran, and both the directors have not let the series slip in the slightest, you would have no idea that this is the work of two directors.
Gayatri-Pushkar, the famous writer-director duo of Vikram-Vedha, has crafted and presented this story, and there is no doubt that this SUZHAL screenplay is its star. Also, the background score of cinematographer Mukesh and Sam makes SUZHAL more intense.
Coming to the performance, every actor in this series is a winner. In the character of Shanmugan, Parthiban has played his difficult character as if he is completely realistic. Watching Senior Police Inspector Regina Bani Shriya Reddy is an experience in itself. The most important thing about SUZHAL is that no character here is just black or white, but he is gray, and this applies to all characters, from small to big. You can feel the uneasiness in Nandini turned Aishwarya Rajesh‘s eyes and in the last two episodes, it is doomed. Kathir, who turns Sub Inspector Sakkarai, is the star of the show. SUZHAL: THE VORTEX is a brilliant story with a great cast, in your language, after watching its first episode, you won’t leave it without completing it, that’s guaranteed.