A momentary success
“Paya pudichitan… elaam Technology,” said Delhi Ganesh about Suriya in Ayan and eleven years after that’s what exactly he has done, by releasing his movie in OTT platform. With no problem for First Day First Show tickets not being available, everyone who were interested in the movie watched first day first show at the luxury of their home. But what’s special is, it made even someone who’d not have been really that interested to watch First Day First Show of the movie too, to have watched it on the very first day. Thanks to the curiosity. There might have been few films to release directly in OTT platform before this one but this is the first star movie to release. It’s definitely not an easy decision to make, in spite of not being a fan of Suriya, I highly appreciate that.
Ideally this is what Kamal would have wanted with his ‘Viswaroopam’. It became a blockbuster and was enjoyed widely in theatres along with the typical theatre moments like the transformation scene. But all that is a different issue. Down the line, like how ‘Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum’ would be remembered as first colour film, this would be remembered as first major OTT film. I too watched the film with same curiosity like many. I don’t remember following the updates of any Surya film before that. May be ‘Ghajini’, that too just to make sure that it’s not as good as ‘Anniyan’. But that’s it.
The movie opens with the trailer scene where a Deccan Air flight is trying to land and conveniently every swear word which Nedumaaran Rajangam/Maara/Maaran (Suriya) says is not lip synced on screen. Either it is a clever move to avoid censors or Suriya being a typical goody goody guy didn’t want to swear on screen. But it doesn’t matter, the swear words don’t have an impact here like a Vetrimaran film or isn’t used in a fancy fashion like a GVM movie. Vijay Kumar has to be appreciated for ingenuine writing. In Sudha Kongra’s previous movie, ‘Irudhi Suttru’ too the swear words were so ingenuine. Plus, Maddy’s character demanded it, which he delivered to perfection. I still remember the last dialogue to the association head, “tha ne gaali da”
The movie doesn’t take a linear screenplay, may be Sudha wanted to make a more impactful film so there is a high-tension opening scene, a sad interval scene and again a high climax. I don’t see any other reason for making the film in nonlinear fashion. Anyways that doesn’t affect the flow of the film. The songs do though, which is a problem with any Tamil film. The director has tried her best to make a fast-paced biographical movie, which is not at all easy unless you’re a Scorsese but whenever songs appear, no matter how good it is, it spoils the flow. Even while I was watching with the family, I was intrigued and had a conversation only during the songs. That’s something that could have been taken care.
Suriya does a fabulous job in the movie. Even the name suits him so much. Generally, no matter how hard he performs he looks desperate but here he has great screen presence. Thanks to the tight frames where they haven’t given him space in the open, all our concentration lies on him. The two best scenes of the movie where the one where his country people give him money and the climax scene. Both being emotional ones he performs really well. In fact, that’s the plus point of the movie, it’s something which audience could emotionally connect to.
Aparna Balamurali too does a fabulous job. I recently watched ‘Sarvam Thaala Mayam’ and wasn’t much impressed of her but here he does a fabulous job. Especially with her diction of Tamil. She matches Suriya scene to scene. Paresh Rawal as Paresh Goswami too does a fair job and so does Prakash Belawadi as Prakash Babu. Wish the latter had been the villain as I’m a big fan of him. He could have added more dimension to the story. Mohan Babu as M. Bhaktavatsalam Naidu got to be cutest hateable person on screen.
Overall, the movie would win hearts, it has its moments but still like how ‘24’ is enjoyable but not a coherent film, ‘Soorarai Pottru’ too feels the same. It’s a tad lengthy, the situations are repetitive with the hero going down on one scene and raising from ashes in the next scene. It happens again and again. Instead the director could have invested on one situation and built the scene through it, rather than giving moments of excellence again and again, something on the lines of ‘Guru’. By the time the film ends, we lose connect to the character, it becomes evident that he’d anyways win. It in a way is a mark of losing interest but thankfully it doesn’t go to that level. What should have been an edge of the seat thriller becomes a drama film with time.
Sudha Kongara is good at making star vehicles without it being called so. ‘Irudhi Suttru’ too treaded on the same lines which worked more because it was like a comeback movie of Madhavan. Similarly, this movie too works more as Suriya’s different attempt rather than being a different movie. It being a biographical movie can be cited as an excuse but that can’t last long.
constantscribbles 