“Keep it slick and stylish, no matter what” has been the mantra for all movies from director Vishnuvardhan’s stable. His second collaboration with Ajith in ‘Aarambam’ has a casting coup with Arya, Nayantara, Tapsee and Telugu star Rana Daggubati playing a cameo. The film was engaging to some extent, had style, more style than needed, but lacked substance that makes or breaks a film. Though this movie was not that badly broken, but certainly had some cracks wide open with obvious plasterings over it!
Ashok (Ajit) and Maya (Nayantara) are partners in crime who go on a rampage seeking revenge for the atrocities done to them. In the process, they rope in Arjun (Arya), a computer hacker and his dumb girlfriend Anitha (Tapsee) to help their cause. Cops and baddies are after all four of them as the heat picks up. Did Ashok and Maya have their revenge and at what cost is the outline of this stylish movie with retrograde stuff!
A scene was judiciously lifted off from the 2001 Hollywood movie, ‘Swordfish’, whereupon Hugh Jackman would be demanded to break into FBI’s secure network by John Travolta. Here Ajit and Arya trade places with Travolta and Jackman respectively, while Nayantara does a decent ‘Hale Berry act’ by just being a stylish witness to all these theatrics!
Vishnuvardhan has picked it up from where he left in ‘Billa’. Here too Ajit walks with his shades on in almost all the frames, does the chasing in cars, drives a Ducati towards the climax, delivers the punches both with his mouth and fist, drives a few scenes with his tongue-in-cheek humor but had no qualms in showing off his age with wrinkles below his eyes and an authentic salt-and-pepper look certifying that the actor is coming-of-age! But still he torched the screen with his electric screen presence and looked ravishing as the angry-middle-aged man.
Nayantara was not in her elements. She tried to put in some buxom glamor by exposing her thunderous thighs during a ‘wicked-seductress’ scene, but that was not as well received as her bikini-act that was in ‘Billa’. Acting and Nayantara have not gone that well and so its better not to ponder into that now.
Arya was loyal to his favorite ‘director-friend’ in his fourth successful collaboration by playing a good second fiddle and was not all that embarrassed to be sidelined for most of the movie. In fact he also was a part of a sight-gag in a whacky flashback that invoked little laughter. His love-affair with Tapsee was just an add-on offer to the movie but was not a definite need as neither of them looked serious even though the movie had something serious to offer to both of them.
Among the supporting cast, Kishore was noticeable because of his apt casting as the member of the ATS squad, Mahesh Manjrekar and Atul Kulkarani as baddies were stereotypes and Rana Daggubati in a cameo was supportive in his own capacity.
Music by Yuvan was another highlight and my pick of the lot would be "Melala Vedikudhu" which was choreographed very well and splashed a ton of colors on screen and brought in a festive mood. I have to admit that I really missed the ‘Arey Rama’ number which was there in the album but sadly did not make it to the screen. The BGM was also decent.
Cinematography by Om Prakash was vibrant and segued the movie’s discourse so well that everything blended well within the frame.
Editing by Sreekar Prasad was stylish and had an element of elan as the cuts looked sleek. Had the second half been tapered a bit, it would have been a great job altogether.
Director Vishnuvardhan has delivered a ‘mass-film’ as it is known popularly in the BO trade circles that has the potential to create the BO magic and make the producers and distributors happy. But if you’re looking out for something really different and thought provoking, then you’ll start to regret 10 minutes into the movie.
Verdict: Average - One Time Watch for its stylish presentation
Rating: 2.5 / 5
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