Vikram has finally broken his losing streak, as his recent release Deiva Thirumagal has managed to get brownie points from the critics. The actor's autistic role of a mentally-challenged adult, who has the mental capacity of five-year-old, has impressed the audience as well as reviewers.
Most of the critics have praised AL Vijay for his unique attempt even though Deiva Thirumagal has some similarities with Hollywood movies I am Sam and Rain Man. The performances of Vikram and Sara have garnered applause from the family audience and fans.
The Oneindia - Vikram touches the heart with his brutally honest depiction
Al Vijay has etched an emotional story with a lot of commercial elements. We can see a mentally handicapped character in a highly sentimental melodrama. Vikram surely touches one's heart with his brutally honest depiction of a mentally disabled man and eventually brings out tears in you.
The Hindu - A sensitive poem on celluloid
Director Vijay and hero Vikram join hands for the first time to present a drama replete with human emotions that stay with you for long. Vijay provides enough fodder for this veritable storehouse of talent, and the actor gobbles it up with glee! Deiva Thirumagal (U) showcases paternal instinct in all its poignancy.
The Deccan Chronicle - It is Vikram all the way
Deiva Thirumagal is an honest attempt without any frills from director Vijay and national award-winning actor Vikram whose performance anchors the entire film. There are no villains, no flashy songs shot in foreign locales, no double-meaning dialogues, mindless violence, yet Vijay has woven a poetic tale of bond between a mentally-ill father and his five-year-old daughter.
The Bangalore Mirror - Vikram’s showpiece
The film is emotionally striking and entertaining at the same time. It would only be fair to state that the combination of the two has certainly taken Tamil cinema to greater heights. Kudos to Chiyaan Vikram for his outstanding performance and Vijay for taking up and dealing with such a complex theme in a matured manner.
The Deccan Herald - Daddy divine and dearest
A L Vijay’s Deiva Thirumagan is like a soothing autumn breeze that sometimes blows away the blues. Inspired by Sean Penn’s 2001 movie I Am Sam, Vijay’s Deiva has plenty of mushy moments that simply melts your heart away.
The Times of India - It is Vikram's and Sara's movie all the way
Vikram never ceases to surprise. From a blind singer in 'Kaasi' to a person with multiple personalities in Anniyan and from a man who works in a graveyard in Pithamagan to an upright cop who battles the mafia in Saamy, he has portrayed a multitude of characters. But in Deiva Thirumagal, he has outdone them all.