‘Tamil Rockerz’ series review: Predictable storytelling that wastes potential

It’s little question that the notorious film piracy web site Tamilrockers holds a despicable place within the historical past of southern Indian cinema. The gang behind the notorious web site was infamous for audaciously asserting their massive leaks. Their notoriety was such that each time they efficiently leaked a tremendous high quality print of a brand new launch, ‘followers’ got here up with memes, some even celebrating them. Many even checked out them as Robinhood-like figures. The anonymity of this group additionally paved means for a lot of conspiracy tales, with some even linking them to a global syndicate. All issues thought-about, it is a meaty story that has the potential to make for a riveting watch. In Sony LIV’s internet collection Tamil Rockerz, director Arivazhagan has, because the disclaimer reads, taken the inventive liberty to make a semi-fictional story about Tamilrockers.

We’re launched to this world via a 4am present of a giant star launch. The movie shockingly will get leaked on-line simply minutes into the present, resulting in the suicide of the movie’s producer. The producers’ council now faces monumental stress, particularly since this additionally threatens ‘Adhiradi Star’ Adithya’s 300-crore movie Garuda, which is ready to launch in 10 days. The menace turns into actual when Tamil Rockerz publicizes that they may leak the movie a day earlier than the scheduled launch. Dealing with monumental stress from all events involved, DIG Sandeep Menon appoints ACP Rudra (Arun Vijay) to go a particular crew, consisting of cyber forensic officer Sandhya (Vani Bhojan), cyber crime SI Bhanu (Vinodhini Vaidyanathan), and inspector Nelson (Vinod Sagar), to seek out Tamil Rockerz and forestall Garuda from being leaked on-line.

First issues first, to observe this collection peacefully, one has to consciously let go of the necessity for lip-sync. All through its eight-episode lengthy length, the collection has horrible lip-sync and campy sound results that impacts the viewing expertise.

Now, the teleplay of Tamil Rockerz is ready up in a means that the day earlier than the movie’s launch, when the leak is ready to occur, is the ‘ticking time bomb’. Nevertheless, there hardly comes a second the place we really really feel the suspense or the urgency, regardless of the story displaying monumental potential for a similar. In a baffling transfer, the makers even unmask the culprits — the members of the mysterious group — within the second episode and therefore it would not turn into a whodunnit as effectively. Actually, even the backstory of how and why the Tamil Rockerz got here to be is predictable.

The largest difficulty with the collection, nonetheless, is in how the protagonist Rudra is written and the way the collection weaves his arc. The very introduction scene of Rudra is a wreck. The scene is aimed to indicate how ruthless Rudra is that he even goes out of line to safe justice. A heartbroken rogue cop heading a mission isn’t new to cinema and the backstory of what made them who they’re is often reserved for an emotional payoff later. Not in Tamil Rockerz, sadly. Rudra suffers a horrible loss and there’s no try to withhold any info from the viewers.

Having proven all of it, the collection goes on to juxtapose the investigation narrative with scenes from Rudra’s backstory regardless of already telling us its destiny. This obvious software to make us really feel for the cop, and the best way it’s employed right here, begs the query whether it is obligatory for the cop’s pathos to have a hyperlink with the central battle. Why cannot a cop — simply any cop — be heading this case? Is not the plight of the victims for whom the collection stands for sufficient to inspire a cop to work for it?

The collection additionally suffers in how some scenes, even when written effectively, are positioned. For example, MS Bhaskar seems in probably the most touching, heartbreaking scenes in the complete collection. As all the time, Bhaskar brings his A-game to the fore however the placement and the comfort in how the thought is introduced in makes even its noble intent really feel force-fed.

All of the above would have mattered lesser had the central narrative of the collection, the investigation into the Tamil Rockerz group, been participating. Blame all of the notions and theories that exist within the public consciousness in regards to the group, the model of the story that Arivazhagan chooses to say is moderately bland for display. After all, one actually can not help if the truth of an occasion would not make for a terrific cinematic story. Nevertheless, even when given this advantage of the doubt, nothing can save the horrible writing of Rudra’s investigation which lacks any excessive factors. Actually, that is an Assistant Commissioner of Police who even whereas chasing a serious perpetrator would not ever name for backup. And for a narrative of a gaggle that’s touted to have worldwide hyperlinks, the deepest it goes technologically is to say how deleted information in a pen drive might be recovered.

It is unlucky that this collection presents little payback for Arun Vijay, who has given his finest. Furthermore, even when the intention of the makers comes from the fitting place, how do you are taking a collection severely when, in its world, a movie producer, director and even the actor’s father calls the star ‘Adhiradi Star Adithya’? With the collection hinting at a second season, all one can do is hope that it manages to redeem itself.

Tamil Rockerz is at present streaming on Sony LIV