Chekka Chivantha Vaanam
Jyothika and Arvind Swami in Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (CVV).PR Handout

Mani Ratnam's Chekka Chivantha Vaanam has garnered highly positive reviews. The viewers have hailed the movie for its tight narration backed by solid performance by Arvind Swami, Silambarasan, Arun Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi. 

Story:
Senapathi (Prakash Raj) is a business magnate and an influential gangster. Arvind Swami (Varadan), Simbu (Ethi), Arun Vijay (Thyagu) will be seen as his sons. Mahat, Simbu sister Ilakya watch CCV at Rohini.

Jyothika plays Arvind Swami's wife and Aditi Rao Hydari as his girlfriend, a television reporter. Dayana Erappa has enacted the role of an NRI and Simbu's love interest, while Aishwarya will be seen as a bold and strong girl from Sri Lanka. Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Thiagarajan, Siva Ananth, Appani Sarath and others are in the supporting roles.

The elder son Varadan believes he is the natural heir of Senapathi and goes to any extent to step into his father's shoes. The drama begins when the coveted and influential seat is up for grabs with the three siblings collude in a power-hungry battle along with Rasool Ebrahim (Vijay Sethupathi). What happens when greed takes over emotions form the crux of the story.

Analysis:
Mani Ratnam constructs the story from the word go around one incident and a family even as he slowly escalates the tension. He takes the entire first half to build the characters and the second half and the sibling rivalry peaks in the second half leading to a well-written ending. The tight screenplay backed by good execution works very well to the overall output of the film. 

It is a treat to watch all the four important characters without overshadowing each other. Arvind Swami's rage and controlled experssions at parts is a testimony to why Mani Ratnam trusted him for this role. Vijay Sethupathi with his dry humours and one-liners steal the show, Simbu scores big time with screen presence , while Arun Vijay has come out with an energetic performance. 

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam has high production values. Santhosh Sivan's camera work with so much versatility, Sreekar Prasad's editing till the end credits and the brilliant music from AR Rahman have helped the product shape up nicely. In short, vintage Mani Ratnam is back.

On the flip side, there are some shallow chase scenes in the second half which could have done away by the filmmaker. 

Average Ratings Given by Audience: 3.5

Od‏ Shek
#ChekkaChivaanthaVaanam Mani loses the plot in the second half but #CCV is still the best Mani Ratnam film in last 10 years. First half is super entertaining with not one dull scene. Vijay Sethupathi & Arvind Swami get the best roles and do full justice. #ChekkaChivanthaVanam Arun Vijay makes the most of his role, he is an absolute firecracker. Simbu is natural but just plays himself. Flaws: Writing in 2nd half All women have 2-bit roles Ending reveal is nothing great

Ravishankar
#ChekkaChivaanthaVaanam s well made. It's raw with sharp shots. Worth deliverable dialogues. BGM makes fasten. All stars reflect d characters well. Few logical errors r faded away with d flow of d movie. A wonderful #Team Effort. #claythoughts #Review

Aldrin Rodney‏
#ChekkaChivaanthaVaanam Strong Characterisation, excellent acting, no dull moments... Maniratnam movie feel missing but worth a watch.

NARESH KUMAR A
RED SKY.... theri... predictable plot if u know mani ratnam way of movie making... but mani ratnam and arr s back.. sema performance from all.. simbu vjsethipathi mass mass mass.... heroines not needed except jothika.. go watch in theaters #ccv #fdfs #ChekkaChivaanthaVaanam

Reviews:
The movie has garnered good buzz with the trailers and promos of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam making people reminisce and relish Mani Ratnam's classic Nayagan. The industry and fans believe that the ace filmmaker is back to his good old ways of telling a story in the intense backdrop. Will the movie give help Mani to return to his good form? Find out in the audience's words here:

Sreedhar Pillai: #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam 3.5/5. Riveting & Racy, Pure Vintage #ManiRatnam. where he has concentrated more on story & plotline. A multi-starrer where every male star has shades of grey & gets their equal share of screen space. Super Climax. Among ladies #Jyotika has the better role.

Mithun R Mithz: Ok..Done with #CCV Don't want to review it as I don't have the words to express myself..This is a blockbuster material for Maniratnam after long time.. Brilliant Bgm and top notch acting by all the characters..a happy STR fan #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam #CCVFDFS

Prasad Mani: #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam - unlike other veteran director's, #ManiRatnam - is very updated and knows the pulse of audiences and given a bumper hit will satisfy all core of ppls in all class.A,B&C will hv houseful shows for next two weeks.Watever mvies slated for next 2 weeks Beware!
#ChekkaChivanthaVaanam - will be a new trendsetter in Tamil Cinema like Director's previous mvies mounaragam, Nayagan, Thalapathy, Anjali, Agninatchitram & Alaipayuthae.The Veteran #Maniratnam delivers one of his ATB movie for this generation he just shows how it has to be done!

Sidhu: #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam Interval: Solid progress. Mani Ratnam beautifully constructs his storyline round a single incident and a family. Contrasting characters & terrific situations, you won't take your eyes off the screen for even a moment.
#ChekkaChivanthaVaanam: And what amazing performances. Each & every actor in the film has his/her place, and never gets overshadowed by the other. @arrahman's music and @santoshsivan's camera are important elements in propelling the story forward - loved their work on the whole!
#ChekkaChivanthaVaanam: The film begins right from the first frame with Mani slowly escalating the tension. There's a 'wow' at every tenth minute of the second half, culminating in a shivering climax. So much brilliance in the writing and execution.
#ChekkaChivanthaVaanam: First class. Mani Ratnam returns like a king with one of his best films ever, the arresting narration holds you by the throat and makes it a highly rewarding experience. Fantastic show.

Hari Krishna Raju: #ChekkaChevanthaVaanam #CCV Master in Story telling Mani sir is back. Presented a revenge saga with Wonderful BGM & cinematography, superb performances. Definitely worth the money. special mention to #STR and #VijaySethupathi
#CCV #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam .. first half ... so far so good .. engaging and entertaining .. looks like "Mani sir is back" ultimately it is #STR and #VijaySethupathi who steals the show.. anyways .. waiting for second half

Ramesh Bala: #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam / #CCV - Master story teller #ManiRatnam puts his best game face..
Movie keeps u engaged from the word go..
All lead actors are terrific..
Set for an even more exciting 2nd half..

Rajasekar: #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam [3.5/5] : @VijaySethuOffl is natural and as Inspector #RasoolIbrahim - he is terrific..
The movie goes one level higher because of his characterization and acting..
#ChekkaChivanthaVaanam [3.5/5] : A Top notch Action thriller/Gangster drama..
Vintage #ManiRatnam is back in style..
The power for control within a rich family.. The deceitful games they play..
Do they pay a price for their crimes..
Watch and find out for yourself..
Master story teller #ManiRatnam puts his best game face..
Movie keeps u engaged from the word go..
All lead actors are terrific..
Set for an even more exciting 2nd half..
#ChekkaChivanthaVaanam first half - Mani Ratnam magic allover. Enjoying each and every scene in this crime drama. The brothers rivalry angle raises the tempo. Super engaging stuff

Prashanth Rangaswamy: #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam - Go with an open mind and you have a Solid movie to watch. The screenplay , revelations and performances by the leads will stun you at many places
This is the day for @VijaySethuOffl to rejoice. From no one in cinema to holding a Mani Ratnam movie together with his top class performance. When he is on frame - He eats any competition alive. What a joy to watch this man perform #ChekkaChivanthaVaanam .
#ChekkaChivanthaVaanam Interval - Jet speed. Mani sir has given equal space to all to perform. @VijaySethuOffl s screen presence and dialogues are special. The stage is set, stunts are so real ! Waiting for second half !! .