Viduthalai released on 31 March 2023 in theatres receiving critical acclaim and became a commercial success at the box office.
In 1987, a train derailment occurs in rural Tamil Nadu, leaving many people severely injured or dead.
People's Army), who, they say, caused the incident as a protest against the state government's decision to allow a mining company take over their hilltop village for a project.
The government announces Operation Ghosthunt to capture the group's leader Vaathiyar Perumal, whose identity and whereabouts are unknown.
Due to a brutal incident orchestrated by E-Company's Officer-in-charge (OC) Ragavendar, the government assigns DSP Sunil Menon as the head of the operation.
Kumaresan learns from Pappa that Perumal has actually been targeting officers who are committing atrocities against innocents in the name of police interrogation.
After wrapping work on Asuran in mid-2019, it was reported that director Vetrimaaran was in talks with Soori as the lead for his next directorial venture.
[16] To reduce production cost, the makers reportedly began filming the portions with an IPhone, which was never done before in Tamil cinema.
[22] Sethupathi eventually joined the cast,[23][24] with his character based on Kaliyaperumal Vaathiyaar, a member of the Tamil Desiyam Group who operated in the 1980s.
[27] In January 2021, Bhavani Sre, sister of composer G. V. Prakash Kumar, was announced to be playing the female lead, in her third feature film after Ka Pae Ranasingam and Paava Kadhaigal (both 2020).
[30] The filmmakers moved to Sathyamangalam forest to prepare to shoot major sequences featuring Soori during December 2020.
[31][32] Bharathiraja left the film due to the weather conditions of Sathyamangalam, which led Vetrimaaran to replace him with Kishore.
[44] Logesh Balachandran of The Times of India gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Viduthalai Part 1 maintains a consistent pace and keeps viewers engaged with moments of high tension.
"[46] Sarath Ramesh Kuniyl of The Week gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Viduthalai is a multi-layered film, held together by a gripping narrative.
"[47] Latha Srinivasan of India Today gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Viduthalai (Freedom) is a film that is a must-watch because it offers a new cinematic perspective of Vetrimaaran and especially because Soori is outstanding.
"[48] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of The Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Vetrimaaran is back with another film about police brutality that is heart-wrenching and might be a hard watch if you prefer your safety zone.
"[49] Bharathy Singaravel of The News Minute gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Soori is masterful in Vetrimaaran's gritty political spectacle.
"[50] Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times wrote "Viduthalai: Part 1, which is definitely not for the faint-hearted, is an elaborate, detailed exploration of abuse of power.
"[52] Vishal Menon of Film Companion wrote "Viduthalai remains the rare instance in a Vetri Maaran movie where you do not have to take a disciplined, conscious effort to wash away the chilling imagery.