Spoilers ahead…
Instead of the spectacle of cinema, we get the ethnographic feel of a National Geographic documentary. The film feels like a time machine that takes us to a strange world.
The broad storyline of Yaathisai, set in the 7th century, is as narrow as possible – I mean, as tightly focused as possible. The Cheras, Cholas and Pandiyas are fighting. The wars go on and on until the Pandiyas drive the Cholas into hiding, a plot point that gave birth to Selvaraghavan’s Aayirathil Oruvan. The Cheras, meanwhile, are sold off as slaves, and they remain mostly off-screen – the few shots of them hint at a sequel. So with the Pandiyas on top, you expect the Cholas to regroup and fight back, but what happens is something very interesting: the first half of the film sets us amidst a completely different people, a sub-clan, a tribe named the “Ainar”. They live an aboriginal, nomadic, almost hunter-gatherer kind of life in the drylands, and at least one man, Kothi (Seyon), dreams of bigger, better things. His birth is described by a narrator as something momentous, as though Nature herself willed this human being into existence.
You can read the rest of the review here:
https://www.galatta.com/tamil/movie/review/yaathisai/
And you can watch the video review here:
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Baradwaj Rangan 
hari prasad
April 19, 2023
You have posted the link for the review of Shakuntalam , BR.
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sachita
April 22, 2023
Came here after the stunning trailer. Your review also seems to say it is a must watch. Even in the trailer, Tamil was hard to follow. Also disappointed it focuses much more on action, I dont think I can take as much gore.
But interesting to know it will provide a much needed perspective when there is a lot of talk and pride about Past kingdoms in TN.
Truly it was and is “authority over everyone else. ”
Btw, always thought yaathisai means across all the directions.
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Anu Warrier
April 22, 2023
Went to watch the trailer after reading your fabulous review. Like Sachita, I can’t take that much gore. But yes, the trailer is stunning! I still wouldn’t mind catching it just on the basis of your review.
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gnanaozhi
May 31, 2023
It’s on Prime @anu, @sachita.
It is exceptional! A very deeply researched movie, the story is simple but the staging….
Get gory though so be prepared
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