2023 2hrs 1mins

Critics Review

2.50

Hardly Engages Despite Its Crisp Runtime!

Historical drama that is appreciable for its bold attempt and the raw approach. But the film fails to engage, proving that the artistic approach alone cannot save a film with lack of content in the second half.(more)

Source: Ashwin Ram, MovieCrow

3.00

A well-crafted historical fiction that deserves a watch

Yaathisai is appreciable in many ways, and it's a must see for fans of period dramas and people who appreciate well-crafted film.(more)

Source: Logesh Balachnadran, Times Of India

3.00

Dharani Rasendran's impressive 'Yaathisai' is a richly imagined slice of historical fiction about brutal wars and the male psyche

The second half brings in the Pandiya king Ranadheera (Shakti Mithran) into greater focus, and like I said before, his "kingly" status does not make him any less of a savage than those of the Ainar tribe. His showdown with Kothi is brilliantly staged, with utter minimalism. That's the success of Yaathisai. Instead of the spectacle of cinema, we get the ethnographic feel of a National Geographic documentary. The director spends a lot of time on facets like a sacrificial ritual, a pre-war dance performance, or a marriage ceremony where the wedding vows are written on a leaf and woven into the thaali. I don't know how much of this came from research and how much has been imagined, but all of it acts like a time machine, transporting us to this strange world. These long stretches between the action scenes establish wonderfully odd rhythms in the storytelling that enhance that National Geographic feeling. Even the weapons feel authentic: in a closeup, we see an arrowhead that looks like something carved by palaeolithic man.(more)

Source: Galatta, galatta.com

2.50

An impressive period drama made with conviction

But for all these issues, this is a film that the future can look back on positively, as a commendable attempt by an all-new cast. Above all, this is coming from a young, one-film-old director who has a strong voice and, like Kodhi, the vigour to ascend to the top, pulling off something truly impressive in Yaathisai with a lot of conviction.(more)