A notorious yet skillful highway robber, ‘Tarpaulin’ Murugan gets into a minor scuffle with the strong-willed owner, Mangaa of a roadside dhaba. Mangaa thinks she is saved when the local Inspector, Masanimuthu intervenes but later realizes he intervened not out of duty but out of lust. A cat-and-mouse tale between Murugan, his gang of robbers and Masanimuthu forms the rest of Nedunchalai.
Language:
Tamil
Running Time:
150 min
Rating:
U/A
Release date:
28 March 2014
Directed by:
N. Krishna
Produced by:
Aaju
S.Soundarrajan
Written by:
N. Krishna
Starring:
Aari
Shivada Nair
Prashant Narayanan
Thambi Ramiah
Music by:
C. Sathya
Shot by:
Rajavel Oliveeran
Editing by:
Kishore Te.
Distributed by:
Red Giant Movies

What’s Hot

  • The setting of the story is something new to Tamizh cinema and the director needs to be lauded for taking up such a tale and presenting it cinematically. The way the thieves find out which lorry has the goods is ingenious.
  • Aari who plays ‘Tarpaulin’ Murugan looks menacing and suits the role perfectly. He carries the film on his shoulders and delivers a marvelous performance. The bombastic Mangaa played by Shivada Nair scores with her expressions and dialogue delivery especially in the first half.
  • Prashant Narayanan plays the role of the primary antagonist, Masanimuthu. His ruthless exploits and devious eyes give the chills to the audience. Of the supporting actors, Thambi Ramiah, Kishore Kumar (the narrator) and the scheming Salim Kumar(who plays a role similar to Hanifa’s Saami in Pattiyal) add value to the proceedings with their respective roles.
  • Sathya’s BGM is the film’s lifeline and his exhilarating score lifts the robbery scenes by several notches. The robbery stunts by Dilip and Super Subbrayan are realistic and have been captured brilliantly thanks to the excellent camera work by Rajavel.

What’s Not

  • Although the premise and the story are excellent on paper, there are many instances in the second half where the hero shows just brawn and not much brain. The climax too runs on predictable lines and is disappointing with the events just following the standard course reminding us of ‘Kazhugu’.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

In spite of the excellent acting by the protagonists, stunning cinematography and enthralling BGM, this 1980s love story just passes muster as it runs along predictable lines.