The life story of a legend who lived years behind our time is brought back to life in Periyar. The man who wanted to remove differences in caste, creed and religion from society, has left values that stand as an immovable, strong base for numerous political parties in existence today.

Periyar, who was born in Erode, belonged to the Venkatappar family. His life was filled with preachings and moral values that he started inculcating in others at the age of 19. Hailing from one of the smallest towns, he went onto become a person of national prominence. One term that can be used to describe the legend was “self respect” and that holds true till today.

The biggest asset of the movie is Sathyaraj, who has literally been living the life of Periyar throughout the shoot. Right from his beard to his way of dressing, the actor has completely transformed himself and done complete justice to the role. Periyar’s second wife Maniyammai is being played by Khushbu, the first being Nagammai given to Jyothirmayi. Though the leading ladies belong to different generations of cinema, they have made sure not to leave a single stone unturned to suit the character. With absolutely no make up, they have given a splendid performance that’s as close to reality as possible.

Vidyasagar has composed strong music to support the storyline. Kudos to director Gnanarajasekaran, who has given a brilliant film very similar to his earlier venture Bharathi, which was well received. Periyar has come at the right time and is sure to bring an awareness of old-world values and morals back in the midst of the present generation