“Ippo.. Veli naatla road, sutham, sugaathaaram ellam epdi irukku? Yen namma oorula appadi illa?” – Athu Thaan ‘Anniyan’
(“If you see most foreign countries, they have good roads, cleanliness and healthcare etc. Why isn’t India like that?” – That is Anniyan)
This is all Shankar would say when he was asked by the media sometime back about his upcoming ‘Anniyan’. Over the course of the next few weeks, he would only say the same line with different examples. Soon, I started ignoring any news about the movie for two reasons, the first being that Shankar was only going to repeat the same stuff and the second one being I didn’t want to spoil it by knowing anything in advance.
I have now seen it (no small achievement considering how hard it is to get tickets during the first weekend) and to sum up my feelings, this is how I would put it:
“Ippo.. Hollywoodla vitha vithamaa padam edukkaraanga. Yen namma oorula athe padatha thiruppi thiruppi edukkaraanga?” – Athu thaan ‘Anniyan’
(“In Hollywood they make different kinds of movie. Why do they make the same movie again and again in India?” – That is Anniyan)
I could not believe it. I have seen and enjoyed every Shankar movie so far. After a thumping debut with ‘Gentleman’, this guy even made us sit through and enjoy a regular ‘poor boy meets rich girl’ love story in ‘Kaadhalan’. Barring ‘Jeans’ and a few segments of ‘Boys’ it has been a fantastic ride for Shankar so far. I didn’t expect him to hit such a low with ‘Anniyan’.
How do you get over a flop like Boys? Simple. Remix three hits, all with socially relevant subjects, and get a new ‘script’ ready. Get the hottest star and the newest babe around to star in your movie. If as a bonus, you can get hold of a producer like Oscar Ravichandran to back you with crores of Rupees, start splurging.
This Matrix-meets-Fight Club-meets-Indian & Gentleman plays like a series of clichéd obligatory scenes. A few incidents to set it all up, lavishly shot songs, fight sequences to defy every basic law of physics and a climax with a twist.
I won’t go into any plot details (Not worth it). Instead I will list out some positive points.
Kalairaani is not in the movie (The tear gland expert who played mom to the lead character of Mudhalvan). If you are still wondering how this is a plus point, this is how. If she was in it, there would have been ample scope for her to cry out loud again. This is a movie that you have to ‘endure’. Having her would have added to the misery.
The songs have been picturised very well, although the music by Harris Jayaraj was nothing great. There are a couple of good songs, but the rest are just random sounds put together. I am sure nothing would stay with you from the BG score or the songs after you leave the auditorium.
Sujatha. The dialogue writer has entered his seventies. It is one thing for man in his seventies to have such a grasp over the lingua franca of today’s youngsters. But, to put it to good use is just fantastic. His witty one-liners are a treat. You might even miss a few small things, like the police dog that is named.. guess what?? Jayalakshmi!!!
Vikram is a big plus. Although he isn’t entirely convincing as the irritating young Iyengar ’Rules Ramanujam’, there a few scenes, where he excels.
Vivek. This guy has an incredible sense of coming timing. I thoroughly enjoyed his exploits in this movie. What a relief to have him say genuinely funny stuff instead of the double-entendres we have gotten from him in recent times!
Now, to the minus points:
Sadha. Why? Why? Why? There are only three things most heroines have to do in a tamil film. Look good, look good and look good. Seems to be a tall order for Sadha. Very irritating!
Stunts. Apart from being a Hollywood production, ‘The Matrix’ was also a science fiction thriller. Why use the same stunts when the story does not have a sci-fi or paranormal backdrop? Apart from the budget allowing for it, I could not find a reason for such unbelievable fight sequences.
What a waste of Prakash Raj!
I could go on, but I choose not to. I don’t think this story can propel another movie. Shankar has taken the juice out of this theme completely. I heard rumors about Shankar’s next being a sci-fi subject. I hope it isn’t about social justice in outer space!!!
PS. I hope there is a small punishment in Hell with a fancy sanskrit name for making the same movie again and again. (Written with my tongue firmly in my cheek)