Taramani (Tamil, 2017)

Ram needs to be lauded for his brave unconventional scripting in spite of an almost generic end to the proceedings. He shines in few sequences like the parallel track where both Prabhu and Althea take revenge on their respective foes. His handling of themes that are considered taboo in Tamizh cinema shows courage and conviction.

Andrea is a revelation in a role that suits her original profile of a stylish female. She shines in the sequences where she calmly handles her pervert boss and also when she faces up to repeated verbal abuse from Prabhu. The male lead, Vasanth Ravi is a great find and his histrionics, in spite of reminding us slightly of Katradhu Tamizh, still seems fresh.

Yuvan is in blistering form with his songs and background score keeping us emotionally engaged throughout the film. Andrea’s costumes and modulation seems to go wonderfully well and it is credit to the team behind-the-scenes for convincing the audience with their work.

The subplot with the protagonist stealing numbers off phone recharge shops is well-written and enacted. The emotional arc of Prabhu, with both the benevolent police constable Azhagam Perumal (who is exceptional) and the tracking down of the owner of the 3 lakh rupees, is also well brought out. In spite of a tinge of over-emphasizing his dominance, JSK does pack a punch and suits the Police role.

The director guiding the viewer through the film by way of a voice-over is quite a good ploy and has been used before. But the director assuming the role of a smart aleck does irritate you as a viewer. However, as the plot moves forward, thankfully the frequency of the narration comes down greatly.

The enforcing of the sexual angle in relationships gets repetitive and sour as the film goes on leading to it impatience setting in towards the latter half of the film.