The story, backdrop and setting (Screen play): This film in my opinion has been directed by 2 different directors for the simple reason the first and the second half just don’t match at all! The 1st half is about the hero Aravindan, a boy with lofty ideals and principals, which is quite believable. What’s more the hero has a great physique but has the traits of an innocent child who will hesitate to even harm a fly. He literally believes in the dictum that this world is god’s gift to mankind. He is rudely awakened and brought to the hard realities of life when his honesty and uprightness lands him to deep trouble with the ‘corrupt’ law makers and protectors. In spite of some practical advice and guidelines from his friend, Soori, and girl friend, Amla Paul, he steadfastly refuses to change his ways to the ‘practical’ realities of the crimes of corruption and political clout. Finally Aravinthan finds himself in the ‘right’ but wrong side of the law. The final ‘finale’ of this half and the film is a well conceived ‘reveal-all, moving, container’ scene! In fact this half in spite of a few holes the director continues to keep the viewers focused on the film’s premise by his straight forward, clean narration and screen play. All the good work ends with the entry of Sarath Kumar’s (CBI officer) and his brand of flying acrobatics and heroism which will even put Caesar’s play in the film ‘Return of the Planet of Apes’ to shame! This is where the film’s downhill slide starts and your cue to exit the hall! The 2nd half of the film totally loses steam and becomes a messy affair beyond redemption. The entry of Narsimha Reddy (Jayam Ravi in a double role) puts an end to any semblance of story line and totally makes the film un watchable. The degeneration from mediocrity and utter rubbish starts with a forced item number (Gana Song) to introduce the 2nd hero Narsimha Reddy (Jayam Ravi). A brash, Paan chewing linguist from Rajmundry. This double play by the director is done solely to showcase Jayam Ravi’s dancing and action capabilities. This scene is followed by an even worse scene – the meeting of the corrupt group (G-147) in an attempt to frame the hero. What follows is even more ridiculous- Jayam Ravi’s meeting of the G-147 and a demand of 14.7 crores. Then comes the ridiculous and unbelievable fight sequence between the two Jayam Ravi’s where both of them throw each other all over the screen like rag dolls which can only be termed as an insult to the sensibility of the viewers of Tamil cinema. The wasted car chases and crashes piles up further misery and agony on the innocent viewers. The content of the film in this half in fact resembles a cheap ‘C’ grade Hong Kong production. The two halves are so contrasting that it make one wonder whether it is the same director who captained the 1st half or if he was on some kind of hibernation or haiteaus and allowed the film to drift on a clueless course of absurd comedy! In fact it forces you to forget the basic premise of this film – “CORRUPTION” and its aftermath! The climax makes you wonder as to who is the real witness for the prosecution (in this case the director). The clear answer – THE VIEWER! The archaic climax outside the court room finally ends the viewer’s 2 hr 32min torture! The less said about it the better! I just wanted the film to end lest it embarrasses a good director any further! Acting: – Jayam Ravi as Aravindan Sivasamy is very convincing, likeable and watchable. He has effectively portrayed the qualities his innocence and gullibility to the tee and even turning his contrasting physique to an advantage. Jayam Ravi as Narasimha Reddy is a huge embarrassment to the actor. All the hard work in the 1st half is totally squandered away in the 2nd half due to bad characterization of the double. Sarath Kumar as a CBI officer was not at all convincing. In the recent past the CBI has been referred to as ‘the caged parrot’ by the Supreme Court but in this film a CBI officer can be termed as a mad, rabid and raging bull! Sarath Kumar looked more like a ‘macula’ macho hero rather than an upright CBI officer. He lacked both the intensity and the conviction. On the whole he looked like a reluctant player in this film. Amla Paul as Poomaari has in the first half performed adequately as a spirited, bubbly and street smart girl and has done a fairly decent job. Her interaction with Soori brings a few smiles. Once again like her other fellow artistes she flatters to deceive in the 2nd half. She is turned into the typical whimpering, love sick, weak female lead which we are forced to watch like in every other Tamil film. C.Gopinath as a TV anchor repeats the ‘Neeya Naana’ anchoring which he is so comfortable with. At times he even takes over from Jayam Ravi as the moralistic and honest citizen to give the hero a break from the monotony. Soori as the Hero’s friend keeps you in good humour with his customary quips and one liners but again only in the 1st half. In the 2nd half he is a mere spectator. Nassar as the father (Priest) is a non starrer in this film! Thambi Ramaiah as Head Constable is adequate and for a change effects a subdued and controlled performance. Subbu Panchu as the lawyer is mostly a dormant sidekick to the hero, offering him moral support (Prashanth Bhushan style) that has no real value or substance to the hero or the viewers. Chitra Lakshmanan as the corrupt judge is one among the group of ‘C’-147 along with the rest:-Ragini Dwevedi, Parvathy Nair, Badava Gopi, Namo Narayana, and G.Gnanasambandam are used to trivialize the issue at hand “Corruption” not out of intent but due to bereft of ideas from the director thereby turning them into cheap characters from a ‘C’ grade flick! Camera: – M.Sukumar & M.Jeevan I somehow got the impression that this was a case of too many cooks spoil the broth. The shots which stood out 1. The figure of 8, 2. The discovery of the ‘battered’ Jayam Ravi, 3. The crane shots of the crowd scenes. 4. The close up of Jayam Ravi during the car chase. Overall it appeared that the camera work lacked both cohesion and visual content to satiate the viewer. Music: – G.V.Prakash the songs were all below average and not one track stood out. The back ground score was at most a noisy concoction of various instruments and sound effects which was loud and jarring. Art: – What has this department got to do with this film anyway? Choreo: – Standard stuff. The dance movements of Jayam Ravi in one Kuthu song could possibly be termed energetic and nothing more! Stunts: – The action scenes were totally bizarre and out of place. It was an outlandish and an out of place mix from films like spider man, superman, and watchmen all combined resulting in a complete mess. In fact I thought some of the characters including Jayam Ravi and Sarath Kumar would suddenly fly right through the screen and fall into the theatre among the viewers. Edit: – A.L.Ramesh should have stood his ground and cut the entire 2nd half and earned the viewers good will for life! The one’s that ‘stood’ out: – The 1st half till the last 10 minutes were the best part of the film. The one’s that fell ‘flat’:-The 2nd half totally destroyed the film! Finally to sum it all up, a quote: “It’s the worst kind of bad film: the kind that gets you all worked up and then lets you down, instead of just being lousy from the first scene.” Left right & Centre: – The man on my left after the first half: – “Not bad, a good film so far”. (I did not seek his opinion after the film for obvious reasons) The one working in the electricity department: – “The first half was good. It worked till the last 10 mins but the second half falls totally flat. A complete wash out”. In fact quite a few walked out during the climax & he remarked to his friend as he passed by:-“Dei ivvalavu neram paathiye, adhuve periya vishiyam!” My daughter in the car: – ‘Aiyo! why can’t our directors ever work on detailing a good script and match it with decent screen play that will satisfy the viewers.”
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 18:57:18 +0000