Till date only a bunch of directors in Kollywood have had the knack of executing a thriller with a gripping narrative and finesse that the story deserves. Mysskin for one had done it thrice (‘Anjaathey’, ‘Yudham Sei’, ‘Onaayum Aatukuttiyum’) in the past and everytime he has tasted success, predominantly with a critical acclaim than a box-office triumph. Here comes a debutant director who oozes brilliance in the way he has handled a very sensitive subject and at the same time has been triumphant enough to draw decent crowds (read it as urban crowd) to the theater with an engaging narrative that was taut and thought provoking as well - extending a warm welcome to director Balaji K. Kumar who has made a bold and daring debut with ‘Vidiyum Munn’.
A story based on child trafficking and prostitution, the events unfold in a day wherein 2 females are on the run as they are about to get victimized by a bunch of thugs who want to chase them down for different reasons. Are they saved from the clutches of darkness remains to be seen.
The strength of the movie rests heavily on the narrative and the characters woven into it. Not a single character appeared to be odd and everyone played their role with ease. Pooja has made a belligerent comeback - great to see a very sensible heroine in the current context of Kollywood where heroines crave for ‘loosu ponnu’ kind of role that requires bubbly emotions and running around trees. The other two characters that were as impressive were that of Amarendran as ‘Singaram’, the pimp and John Vijay as ‘Lankan’, the deceitful and wicked detective. The duo added a sort of dark streaks that had quite a lot of emotions ranging from dread to some goofy slapsticks and kept the ball rolling.
Others who were there to support the cause were Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, Vinodh Kishan and last but not the least, the child artist Malavika, who was the axle around which the story revolved. She is a natural and had that charm, angst and a languished look in her eyes pinned at once. Vinod Kishan in a negative role was stone faced, but managed to carry the surprise till the end where he unleashed it with a cool head.
Technically the movie had a lot to offer in terms of coloring, wherein a blue tint was used to usher in that eerie feel every now and then, flamboyant cinematography and chic editing.
The movie also had a handful of loose ends and left some questions unanswered as to who kills who and for what purpose. But overall, this movie needs to be watched for the way a dark subject has been handled so neatly and brilliantly, devoid of sleaze, even though the story had much room for it.
Verdict: Very Good!
Rating: 3.5 / 5
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