Vasu, a moneylender in Coimbatore’s Gandhipuram market, lives away from his wealthy family due to a misunderstanding. Accidentally, he comes across a planned attempt to kill a police officer by a mysterious gang; he promptly takes on the entire gang singlehandedly, saving the life of the police officer. This sets the gang’s leader, Thaandavam, and his goons against him who find out later that Vasu & his family need to be eradicated on more than one count.
Language:
Tamil
Running Time:
160 min
Rating:
U/A
Release date:
22 October 2014
Directed by:
Hari Gopalakrishnan Nadar
Produced by:
Vishal Krishna
Written by:
Hari Gopalakrishnan Nadar
Starring:
Vishal Krishna
Shruti Haasan
Soori
Sathyaraj
Radhika Sarathkumar
Andrea Jeremiah
Music by:
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Shot by:
Priyan
Editing by:
VT Vijayan
Distributed by:
Vendhar Movies

What’s Hot

  • Vishal is well suited to the role of the do-gooder Vasu who turns into a one-man army at times of exigency. He is perfect in the sentimental scenes & imposing in the stunt sequences. The stunt sequences though highly over-the-top work primarily due to his physique.
  • The film has a plethora of supporting characters with Sathyaraj as the strict police officer, & Raadhika as his mother getting prime attention. Their experience speaks when even with very less screen time they are able to captivate with their dialogue delivery. Also, Mukesh Tiwari who plays the prime antagonist is apt for the role & performs admirably. He spews venom with his looks & modulation.
  • Yuvan’s BGM score is apt for this racy saga peppered with multiple chases & stunts. A note of appreciation to the editing & cinematography departments for never letting the film lag with the rapid camera movements & numerous jump-cuts. This certainly induces a feeling that the film is moving pretty quickly.

What’s Not

  • Shruthi Haasan, who plays the heroine Divya, in spite of possessing decent acting capability is under-used. But even that can be excused in a hero-centric masala action extravaganza. What certainly cannot be excused is the downright pathetic costumes that adorn her in the song sequences which do not suit her one-bit.
  • While Hari’s films always do have huge families, it sort of goes overboard in this film with so many characters who do not have anything to do with the plot.All of Soori’s sequences are hilarious & delighted the audience, but the placement of his sequences with Imman & Pandi in the second half really spoil the flow the film.
  • When the antagonist & protagonist are revealed to each other in any film, the film’s engagement quotient solely depends on the cat & mouse game between them. While Hari has proved a master at it in the past, it has not wholly come together this time, in spite of Hari’s earnest attempts to live with the times, with the ending seeming to be forced & manipulative.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

Poojai is a template masala action film from Hari with smatterings of love, comedy & family sentiment set in a well-designed plot. While it is not compelling, it certainly is a watchable festival entertainer.