The core premise of Sorgavaasal remains the investigation that is underway behind the breakout of the riots that have transpired in jail. And while a list is being prepared of the folks involved, investigating officer Ismail (Natarajan Subramaniam) stutters on the name of Parthi, an event in the film that triggers the Roshomon effect of sorts. Revealed through a series of flashbacks, the writing chooses to add flesh to the events leading up to the outbreak of riots, while allowing viewers to familiarize with the main players. The issue is ‘how’ as much as ‘why’ and ‘who’, even as you are acquainted with the early life of Parthi, who is shown to be an innocent food seller with a little stall of his own. As the story progresses, I liked how the writing was committed to keep his character grey as opposed to showcasing the binary side of things in jail.

The drama heavily relies on the character dynamics between the characters, majorly with respect to Parthi being at the center of two rival gangs, even as he jostles for justice, both outside and inside the premises of the jail. There is a proper power hierarchy that is depicted in the film through a series of characters – if the stray and brief appearances of the politicians who call the shots wasn’t enough, you are introduced to a fierce and remorseless SP Sunil Kumar (Sharafudheen) who is given charge of the prison while ensuring that the ongoing drug trade in prison is curbed and eradicated. This naturally pits him against Siga and gang, who are the prime suspects, even as Parthi invariably becomes a common pawn of the situation. There is an organic growth showcased by Parthi, even as you see him winning the trust of his fellow inmates through his cooking, even as the drama continues to ground itself in a sea of reality. In a scene, you see Parthi inquiring on why the prison food isn’t tasty, to which the reply arrives that if the inmates get accustomed to the ‘good food’ of the prison, they won’t feel the need to leave. This in turn, ties to the title of the film too wherein characters are either left for the dead (hell) or are released to the outer word (heaven).

The proceedings have a steady buildup even as you are witness to the character of Parthi slowly getting embroiled in a pickle. For starters, Parthi is naive and heavily influenced by the hearsays and relying mostly on face-value, without trying to navigate towards the truth that indirectly is linked to his freedom. This in turn, is reflective of his growing bond towards SP Sunil, a vily character who hatches a plan of his own oblivious to Parthi. The twist in the tale is almost a searing commentary on the evident power hierarchy and a form of capitalism that rules the roosts, something that sees the death of an important character. That is also indicative of the death of God in this world, with only Satans of hell left to fight for that one thing – survival.

The drama though briefly stumbles in its chaotic final act even as the lines of morality begin to blur in the wake of vandalism and ruthless aggression. The issue for me was a brief loss of coherency while being slightly overstuffed with character arcs and shifting character dynamics that didn’t collectively make a splash. Even the latter was a little too quick that didn’t quite allow an emotional bond to be established while a few characters are bumped off. A steady and layered finale culminating into a streak of chaos was the idea but it didn’t quite land perfectly. Despite that, it can’t be denied that I was drawn in to the world and a few of the characters that did make the screenplay work while making for a riveting drama.