Finally concluding the first season’s chapter, or so we think, the Tamil crime thriller series made a comeback on October 19 with its final two episodes. Starring Atharvaa Murali as ACP Ashwath Rathnakumar and Manikandan K as Padalam Sekar, aka the Whale, in lead roles, the series has been directed by Prasath Murugesan with cinematography by Edwin Sakay and action choreography by Dhilip Subbarayan.
Also starring, Gautham Vasudev Menon as Thiru, Dilnaz Irani as Commissioner Sayanthika, Dhivyadharshini aka DD as Safia, Ilavarasu as Veeravaal Nallangkiri and others, Mathagam Part 2 final episodes pick up from where we were left off last. Sekar tries his all to get his hands on the bag of money again, traps hostages in a bomb-laden room, and Ashwath does what he can to break through the traps set in his way to get to Sekar.
Shallow character sketches for the people written into the show rarely make for a poised and grounded storytelling. The lack of depth in these characters, especially Ashwath, completely ruins the tone of the show. Despite the heavy human intentions of the series, it fails to grasp our attention after a point and the same redundant action sequences continue to occupy the screen time in hopes of building a captivating climax, which in reality never quite delivers.
Atharvaa’s Ashwath is presented as a bland caricature of the ideal image of what we expect a police officer to be, yet his familial ties with his wife and child are pushed back as a second thought.
Constant attempts are made to bring up the grey zone where criminals are also portrayed as like-minded human beings with feelings, yet it all fails to hit the mark owing to how artificial and feigned these breaks appear to be. Thereafter, even the ultimate revelation regarding the mole within the police force isn’t brought on as satisfying disclosure.
Dilnaz Irani’s Commissioner Sayanthika is positioned as the ever-present voice of reason trying to counsel Ashwath throughout the season. Yet her character’s portrayal is also put on as a one-dimensional interference.
The other subplot about Ilavarasu’s Veeravaal Nallangkiri and all the corrupt happenings around his name are as good as forgotten. Left behind as an afterthought amidst the unfolding proactive chase between Sekar and Aswath, the series rarely shines any light on this matter.
In the end, Mathagam Episode 9 also ends with yet another cliffhanger, which by this time has become a regular way to end the series (or not). And so, the intermittent episodic premiere format proves to be a painful watch.
With full focus on finishing the fast-paced cat-and-mouse chase, the Mathagam Hotstar series barely adds any fuel to the individual characters involved in the action. The series presses the pedal hard to build up the plot’s dark tone, however, with a lacking insight into how and why these characters function in a certain way, your interest in them may fade away soon. Despite all the weapons being pulled out, and the overt action-packed drive of the plot, Mathagam stands back as all talk and no substance.