The 3rd one in Gautam Vasudev Menon's honest cop-saga, after 'Kaaka Kaaka' and 'Vettaiyaadu Villaiyaadu', this one treads the same path, without bringing anything new to the table, unlike 'Vetai...', which upped the stakes somewhat, and made the main cop a grizzled veteran, while this one goes backwards, in a manner of speaking.
First, the good.
Now, the bad.
-One of the crappiest performances by one of my favorite actresses, Anushka Shetty (contrast her work here with the fabulous performance she gave in 'Vedam'). And her characterization, hero-worshiping the lead to such an uncomfortable extent for no solid reason whatsoever, outlining (nee, highlighting) the shallowness of her situation, almost does not belong in a flick that purportedly mature.
An average watch. Still better appreciated on the big screen, as opposed to TV, but I will forget the experience soon. I know Ajit has made better movies, but he has made worse too.
First, the good.
- Ajit's sincerity. He has never had any shortage of that particular talent, and one can appreciate that in all his works since 'Valli' put him solidly on the map. His anchoring performances, even in confusing characterizations that inhabited 'Mankatha' and 'Amarkalaam' make it easier to sit through certain leaps in logic within the mainstream thriller milieu (however, it has to be acknowledged that even his presence, and Arya's, could not save the mess that was 'Aarambham', never mind its box-office).
- The endearing parent-child dynamic that becomes the focus of the movie as it progresses.
- The grounded action set-pieces. Almost reminding me of the great stuff from Jason Statham's 'Safe' and 'Wild card' (the latter though, just referencing the action, not anything else).
- Some of the background score.
- Most of the cinematography, production design, and camera-work.
- The attempt to focus on the despicable side of humanity that trades illegally in human organs.
Now, the bad.
- Poor characterization of many supporting characters. More on this later as well.
- Startling leaps in logic (so...he travels to the US, just to board the next flight back - perhaps, US immigration didn't let him in? I kid, but you get the gist), requiring a little more suspension-of-disbelief than one associates with a GV Menon flick.
-One of the crappiest performances by one of my favorite actresses, Anushka Shetty (contrast her work here with the fabulous performance she gave in 'Vedam'). And her characterization, hero-worshiping the lead to such an uncomfortable extent for no solid reason whatsoever, outlining (nee, highlighting) the shallowness of her situation, almost does not belong in a flick that purportedly mature.
- Weak characterization of the main baddie, which is tremendously cliché-ridden, makes me wonder what all those additionally credited screenplay writers actually did on the first draft. Sridhar Raghavan is one of those doctors, and I have no inkling of what new he brought to the game. Writing-wise, this is perhaps one of the most blandly written works from Menon in a while. Surprising, nee, disappointing.
- Once again, a typical GVM strength, is a major let-down here. The music.
- Scenes drag on interminably long, leading me to conclude that this one was a major vanity project for the helmer, just used to house his self-indulgent whims.
- Though the choice of subject is appreciable, the surprising lack-of-depth makes for very bland viewing. The criss-crossing between the domestic tale of parental care, and the crime thread, don't meld into one another seamlessly, like they ought to. Anushka's profession is also treated shabbily, with her never using the tech at her disposal (supposed to be an Agile PM?) to play smart, and is just Ajit's groupie from the moment she sets her eyes on him.
An average watch. Still better appreciated on the big screen, as opposed to TV, but I will forget the experience soon. I know Ajit has made better movies, but he has made worse too.