Rating: 1/5
Banner: G K Film Corporation
Cast: Vishal, Arya, Madhu Shalini, Janani Iyer, G M Kumar, Suriya (guest role), Ambica, Prabha and others
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematographer: Arthur Wilson
Editor: Sreekar Prasad
Story, screenplay, direction: Bala
Producer: Vikram Krishna
Release date: 17/06/2011
The hard hitting movie maker Bala is back and this time he has softened his flavour to provide some entertainment. Was it really entertaining? Let us see..
Story
Set on the backdrop of a village, the story is about two step brothers Walter (Vishal) and Dhandalsamy (Arya) born to two different mothers. Both of them are thieves but Walter has a special affinity for acting. Both brothers keep fighting tooth and nail for every small thing.
However, they have immense respect for one highness (G M Kumar). On the other hand, Walter falls in love with constable Baby (Janani) while Dhandalasamy falls in love with Nagu (Madhu Shalini). While life looks smooth for them, an incident happens bringing a grave impact to their lives.
What is that incident? What happens in the process forms the rest of the story.
Performances
Vishal has undoubtedly come up with an award winning performance. His body language, his squint eyed expression and his versatility in displaying various emotions is exceptional. This is perhaps the first time he has given such a committed performance.
Arya underplays his role this time and takes the backseat. But there are those occasional scenes where flashes of his brilliance can be seen.
GM Kumar gives a dedicated performance without inhibition. Given his age, it is truly remarkable for an individual to shed his ego and do certain scenes. Hats off to him!!
Janani conveys a lot through her expressions and though her role is limited, she makes her presence felt.
Madhu Shalini scores with her innocent looks and a natural sex appeal. She has justified her role with effective performance.
Suriya in a guest role scores few brownie points, Ambica was apt, Prabha was different and rustic, Vignesh was alright. The others did their bit as required.
Highlights
- Vishal’s performance
- Screenplay
- Technical aspects
- The Navarasa scene in the presence of Suriya
- Background score
Disappointments
- Lewd dialogues
- Poor storyline
- Extremities in few sequences
- Overdose of realism
Analysis:
The film was made with only one objective- to bring out the performer in Vishal and the actor has utilized this opportunity to the fullest.
While a fair share of credit can be given to him, an equally good share must be given to Bala for squeezing out the performance from Vishal. But in this process, there are few crucial things which have missed the mark.
For starters, Bala has proved again that he is a master technician and an impressive storyteller but that alone will not suffice to engage the audience. There must be a reasonable storyline and enough quotient of connect to involve the viewer. That was missing as the whole film relied on screenplay, visual appeal than content. While it is appreciated that a film must be close to reality, it is time Bala reduces his barbarism when it comes to dialogues. Here are few instances
- Vishal speaking to his own mother about wearing bra, that was disgusting
- Few dialogues related to shit
- G M Kumar’s naked scene that sounded extreme and lacked conviction
- Police inspector being treated like a scum bag by ordinary thieves
Overall, this is a film which will appeal to those who like out of the box films with the technicalities of film making. Those who follow the Bala style of films, they will like it to a large extent. In a way, it is better than his earlier venture ‘Nenu Devudni’. To those who look for fun, entertainment or some dramatism, they will get restless in no time. At the box office, this has a hard chance to score success but then it has enough ingredients to shine at international film festivals and offbeat cine circuits.
If any audience comes out of the theatre without nauseate feel or mild headache and if he is really says that it’s ‘superb’ it can be concluded that they are possessed with some sadism in themselves.
Bottomline: Only for art-house audience, not for entertainment or mainstream audience.
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected])
