The life of a young boy, Sathyadev, takes a destined route when his father becomes an incidental casualty in a scene of crime. The I.P.S. route takes away from him a loving wife-to-be and renders a child motherless. It also gives hima prominent enemy Victor who makes a comeback into his life as the perpetrator when he is attempting to solve a kidnap case. And like the narrative tells at that very moment – ‘All hell breaks loose’ and culminates in a riotous climax.
Language:
Tamil
Running Time:
168 min
Rating:
U/A
Release date:
5 February 2015
Directed by:
Gautham Menon
Produced by:
A. M. Rathnam
S. Aishwarya
Written by:
Gautham Menon
Sridhar Raghavan
Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Starring:
Ajith Kumar
Anushka Shetty
Trisha Krishnan
Arun Vijay
Parvathy Nair
Vivek
Daniel Balaji
Thalaivasal Vijay
Music by:
Harris Jayaraj
Shot by:
Dan Macarthur
Editing by:
Anthony
Distributed by:
MK Enterprises

What’s Hot

  • It could be claimed that Gautham Menon is adept in handling ‘cop & criminal’ stories and with this third installment, he only makes that claim stronger. He has framed chapters from a Third police officer’s life which perfectly suits the capabilities and flair Ajith is known for.
  • With the help of writers Shridhar Raghavan & Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Gautham has been able to let the narrative stay fresh and true to his style at the same time. His films mostly have linear narratives and don’t come with a lot of nagging namesake twists. The narrative in Yennai Arindhaal tows the same line. The adrenaline pumping climax act finishes off things in style.
  • Through YA’s SathyaDev, Ajith gets a fully-fledged police role into his repertoire & charms with his demeanour and elegance. He deserves to be commended for pulling off the character with minimum fuss & not playing very much to the gallery. His range of emotions are well captured by Gautham (The scene where he breaks down towards the climax about an event from the past & the dialogue that justifies his reaction is a sparkling example of how this partnership has worked in the film)
  • Arun Vijay as Victor doesn’t join the party for long but when he gets in, he solely owns it for a considerable chunk of time. The belief that Gautham & Ajith should have had in him in giving him major stake towards the climax is justified with his raucous & passionate ranting. Vivekh, in a short supporting role brings a few laughs.
  • Dan McArthur’s camera-work is a huge plus as it makes its mark as much when it navigates behind the night-owl episodes of Sathyadev in the city lights as it does while capturing the montages through shifting timeframes in Mazhai Vara Pogudhe & Unakkenna Venum Sollu (songs that make a mark in Harris’ music)
  • Roles of Nasser & Trisha roles are short & sweet and they manage to be impactful in taking the film forward. Parvathy Nair’s tiny role is sure to surprise the audiences as we don’t usually get heroines making a debut in roles like these.
  • Anthony’s editing & Silva’s stunts provides much needed moments of enthrallment for fans of Ajith in action blocks and the title track. The team’s decision to go for two-frames for a critical shot cleverly aids the Mellisaana Kodu theme of the conversation. Gautham’s dialogues bear the stamp of his usual indulgence in providing ‘Police officer/Criminal’ viewpoints.

What’s Not

  • The kid & Anushka have performed amply but their roles have only limited scope which makes them stick out as the film shifts to another gear when they take centre-stage. The background score of Harris provides only 2 noteworthy bits but otherwise comes nowhere close to what he gave in Vettaiyadu (In fact, there is an accidental rehash of Thala Pola Varuma music for the antagonist!)
  • Some of the chase episodes in the night go pretty quick that one finds it challenging to follow the sequences. The lack of sound red-herring characters you expect in a thriller make it less suspenseful.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

Gautham has successfully carved chapters of the third episode in a police officer’s life, giving it a premise similar to the first two, building a fresh structure on top and fitting Ajith perfectly into it. Get to know Sathyadev, you will like him – Just like you liked Anbuchelvan & Raghavan!