Kazhuvethi Moorkkan

Kazhuvethi Moorkkan (கழுவேத்தி மூர்க்கன்) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language political action drama film written and directed by Sy Gowthama Raj. The film stars Arulnithi, Dushara Vijayan, and Santhosh Prathap, with Saya Devi, Munishkanth, Sharath Lohithaswa, Rajasimman, and Yaar Kannan portraying supporting roles. The music was composed by D. Imman with cinematography by Sridhar and editing by Nagooran.

The film was released on 26 May 2023. It received positive reviews from critics and performed moderately at the box office.

Plot
Moorkasamy (Moorkkan) and Bhoominathan (Bhoomi) are childhood friends from school, since Bhoomi helped Moorkkan when Moorkkan was hit by a bull. Moorkkan's parents try to separate them since Bhoomi belongs to a lower caste than Moorkkan. Bhoomi helps his caste people from oppression and inspires them to study like him. Before the election, the opposition party belonging to Moorkkan's caste tries to get votes from their caste by conducting a campaign, where a problem happens when they try to fix a poster in the other community's area. Moorkkan stands with Bhoomi during this issue. The party plans to eliminate Bhoomi by separating him from Moorkkan by the help of his father. They set up Bhoomi's death upon Moorkkan. This caused Moorkkan framed as Bhoomi's murderer. Moorkkan finds out their plan later and avenges his friend's death before getting shot by a police driver belonging to his own caste.

Cast

 * Arulnithi as Moorkasamy
 * Dushara Vijayan as Kavitha
 * Santhosh Prathap as Bhoominathan
 * Saya Devi as Valli
 * Munishkanth as Unmai
 * Rajasimman as Muniaraj
 * Sharath Lohithaswa as Prithiv Kumar
 * Yaar Kannan as Moorkasamy's father
 * Poster Nandakumar as K. T. A. K. Party leader

Production
The film was directed by Sy Gowthamraj, who earlier directed the film Raatchasi. It was produced by S. Ambeth Kumar under the banner of Olympia Movies. The cinematography of the film was done by Sridhar, and the editing of the film was done by Nagooran. The film was shot in 2022 between July and September around the places of Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, and Rameswaram. The first-look poster and motion poster were released on 15 March 2023. The teaser for the film was released on 22 April 2023. The trailer for the film was released on 19 May 2023.

Music
The music of the film was composed by D. Imman.

Release
The film was released on 26 May 2023.

Reception
Logesh Balachandran of The Times of India gave it 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Kazhuvethi Moorkkan manages to captivate us to a considerable extent with its solid screenplay." Kirubhakar Purushothaman of The Indian Express gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "While the story is engrossing, the same could not be said about the craft of the film." Cinema Vikatan gave the film a mixed review, stating, "If the intensity shown in the action sequence had been in the screenplay, the film would gain some attention."

Navein Darshan of Cinema Express gave it 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "This intricately-written film needed better craft." A critic from Dinamalar gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, stating, "It is a notable action film that talks local politics." A critic from Maalai Malar gave the film a rating of 3.25 out of 5 stars, stating, "Though some scenes have flaws, it is a watchable film for its story, cinematography, and performances by actors."

Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote, "Kazhuvethi Moorkkan has its heart in the right place but succumbs to mediocre writing, and while terrific performances salvage it to be a decent entertainer, the film leaves you wishing for more." Latha Srinivasan of India Today gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Kazhuvethi Moorkkan delivers a social message without being preachy."