[9mm_fan]

Expectations were brewing for this movie due to many factors, Prithviraj’s Tamil release after Mozhi, Yuvan Shankar Raja’s excellent music score, and towering all, the fact that the movie is directed by veteran Vasanth, that too a thriller on same lines of his biggest hit – Aasai.

First thing first, though the story (said to be a real one) is good and the attempt is genuine, down the line, you feel as if the product is not complete. You leave the theatre with a thought that Vasanth, the talented he is, could have done better.

The director has made sure that we have no clue of what we can expect from this one, as the trailer gave little to nothing away. Though the concept is little old for Tamil cinema, the handling of the subject is ala Vasanth. For the appetizers, how about the scene in which the heroine takes off her ‘thali’ or the mangal sutra and drops on the temple’s nandhi, symbolically stating that she is getting off her problem. Isn’t he after all the sishya of one of the greatest maverick directors of Tamil cinema – Balachander?

Prithviraj does his job with comfortable ease; he is a treat to watch. Padma priya who gets a meaty role does full justice to her character, though a slight check on her lip synchronization during the dubbing sessions would have rounded it off well. Nithin Satya as the cowardice psycho is a revelation in the climax.

In the technical department, the camera work by debutant Dinesh Kumar is top notch. A smooth narrative style has been followed as far as the editing goes; could have been a bit more stringent. Ocher studios graphics is not convincing, a scene in which a gas cylinder explodes has been done very amateurishly. Hope their upcoming project - Rajinikanth’s next, Sultan - the Warrior, doesn’t have any traces of such incompetence. Songs of Yuvan Shankar Raja, which are already a rage among the youth, have been choreographed adequately. “O Indha Kadhal” by Adnan Sami and “Entha Kuthirayil” by Shreya Ghoshal & Rahul Nambiar stand out. The background score is a little loud at times but still gives the eerie atmosphere which is needed for such stories.



On the flip side,

* Certain section of the audience might feel the narration to be slow, especially in the second half when two item numbers come one after the other in a span of 10 minutes. It would have been much crispier if trimmed by 15 to 20 minutes.
* The way the hero finds out the truth is imprudent, and logic does go out of the window couple of times, but thankfully not always.
* The movie tries very hard to tickle your funny bones but with ill luck.
* Commerciality of the movie is a big question mark.

Overall, if you are a fan of Vasanth school of film making, then go for it. But if you are one of those who get restless when the scheme of things is slow, then you might have some tough time.

Verdict - A wannabe thriller sans thrills.