Vijay Sethupathi's first attempt to turn into a masala hero is the reason for the high expectations for 'Rekka'. To what extent director Rathina Siva succeeds in presenting the Makkal Selvan as the Mass hero remains to be seen.
The film opens with Kabir Khan a deadly gangster killing the brother of another gangster Harish Uttaman who makes a vow to get even. We are then introduced to Vijay Sethupathi who along with his sidekick Sathish is known for kidnapping girls who are on the verge of getting married to men they don't like. One such girl happens to be the bride of Harish Uttaman who surprisingly spares the hero. A few marriages (including to 80 year olds) later it is Vijay Sethupathi's sister who is getting married and a stray incident by Sathish results in Harish Uttaman blackmailing the hero to kidnap Lakshmi Menon a minister's daughter engaged to Kabir Khan from Madurai. What happens next forms the rest of the story.
Vijay Sethupathi in his usual style does what is required and manages to keep the film watchable. In 'Sethupathi' he had the backing of a solid script and was able carry the mass hero role to good effect. Here the mediocre screenplay and execution makes his efforts look laboured. The childish stunt choreography lets him down big time. Lakshmi Menon is made to look and emote like your oft seen "Loosu ponnu" and though in the end her behaviour is justified it is too late. Sathish is there in a few scenes but it comedy that is missing in the entire film. K.S. Ravikumar, Sri Ranjini, Kabir Khan and Harish Uttaman have given uniformly good performances. Kishore as a doctor who becomes mentally ill and the girl who plays his lover are two memorable characters in the film.
The flashback portion involving Vijay Sethupathi ‘s character as a small boy infatuated towards his tuition teacher and how that changes the lives of her and Kishore is well told.
The Madurai episode where Vijay Sethupathi single handedly whisks away Lakshmi Menon fighting literally 100 men is not only illogical but also taxing on the viewer.
D.Imman's melodies are soulful though they are reminiscent of his past movies. Ditto his background score. Dinesh Krishna’s with his camera has a lot of zooming and zipping work which is well done. Credit should be given to editor Praveen KL for keeping the story moving at a brisk pace. Stunt choreographer Rajasekhar has gone on overdrive with all his fights looking unnatural and his biggest blunder is exposing the limitations of the hero in this department. Director Rathina Siva does have a strong core storyline but his seen- a- thousand- times screenplay and mediocre execution leaves a lot to be desired.
Verdict : 'Rekka' is worth a watch if you go without expecting the high standards Vijay Sethupathi has set in his previous body of work.
