Though the second half is a bit slow, overall the movie is good as it is a nice departure from the regular masala films.

… the film, helmed by Rajesh M Selva, has technical brilliance. The thing with the film is that it has its heart set in the right place but it’s the beats that are occasionally irregular.

…is a dark little film with no subplots or entertainment just for the sake of it. The ending hints at a franchise with inspectors Diwakar and Mallika (Trisha) – bring it on, we say!

…the movie has lot going for it like technical values, Kamal Haasan’s performance and other actors’ honest effort but it doesn’t rise above the level of a taut and engaging thriller. Okay movie, on the whole.

Bottomline: Lacks Punch

On the whole, Cheekati Rajyam is a slick action thriller with interesting moments going its way. Racy first half, Kamal Haasan’s performance and some stylized action episodes are huge assets. On the flip side, a predictable story line and a slightly dragged out second half spoil things a bit. All those who like action thrillers will end up loving it big time and for the rest it ends up as just a decent watch this weekend.

On the whole, Cheekati Rajyam is a slick action thriller with interesting moments going its way. Racy first half, Kamal Haasan’s performance and some stylized action episodes are huge assets. On the flip side, a predictable story line and a slightly dragged out second half spoil things a bit. All those who like action thrillers will end up loving it big time and for the rest it ends up as just a decent watch this weekend.

… is a good action thriller with high action sequences…

Except for some brilliantly shot action scenes Cheekati Rajyam has nothing exciting enough to be cherished at the cinemas. The team will be lauded for breaking the so called formula but as a film it fails to strike chord with the viewers. Kamal Haasan who usually adds emotional depth to his plots has written a flat screenplay that turns uninteresting in the second hour. Extremely slow pace and with hardly anything happening on the story front for the most part of the movie, Cheekati Rajyam finds it tough to appeal to the majority of audience.

Verdict: Different But Shallow.

Cheekati Rajyam is an action thriller with all its elements, but the storyline lets down the film a bit. Some twists and turns in this thriller would have done wonders to this. Kamal and his team have concentrated more on the stunts and sound design, some work on the second half would have elevated the film to a different level.