When the film opens, we are in the early days of the Emergency, and we see it celebrating the Dravidian leadership standing up to it (and subtly acknowledging the present-day parallels). The narrative beats that lead us to this moment are generic, but what gives Sarpatta Parambarai its distinct flavour is its setting and the filmmaking flair. Until its halfway mark, the film’s entirely focussed on this rivalry, giving us pressure-cooker situations that ultimately result in Kabilan (Arya, whose sheer physicality helps us buy the character), a boxing enthusiast forced to give up the sport by his concerned mother Bakkiyam (Anupama Kumar), challenging Durai’s protégé and the so-far invincible champion Vembuli (John Kokken, effective) to a fight. The primary plot is centred on the rivalry between Sarpatta Parambarai, coached by Rangan (Pasupathy, a fabulously controlled performance), a former champion, and the Idiyappam Parambarai, whose trainer Duraikannu (GM Kumar), was Rangan’s bunny during their playing days. Pa Ranjith’s Sarpatta Parambarai revolves around a community of boxers in the Madras of the 70s of which the titular Sarpatta Parambarai is one of the clans.
