Metro (Tamil, 2016)

Writer-director Anand Krishnan must be lauded for coming up with an excellent plot that is taut as well as gripping. There is perhaps some element lost in translation from paper to screen but it is still a fabulous work from a youngster. The way he blends style into the narrative, that is catchy yet unnerving at the same time, is extraordinary.

Bobby Simha who has been the recipient of some bad reviews recently (Ko2 & Iraivi) must be given credit where it is due. He needs to be lauded for choosing such a role in a plot where he is not the STAR man but still plays a vital part in the overall plot. His styling is also excellent and he convinces as the cunning baddie with his histrionics.

The casting with respect to the supporting characters such as Thulasi and her husband is good. They bring the much-needed emotional connect to the script. In fact Thulasi performs exceedingly well in one of the best scenes in the film when dealing with her son, Sathya. Similarly, the college classmate played by Nishanth is a revelation. He displays ample amount of composure that stuns you at the first instant itself. Even the quirky/shady characters who travel along the gold trail add tremendous value to the whole plot.

The film is a perfect example that even low budgeted non-star-driven films can provide outstanding technical work. All the departments right from lighting to cinematography to make-up to costumes to stunt choreography to editing have combined wonderfully well to give an ultra-stylish output. Similarly, the background score (though loud in places) is overall stunning and adds a lot of value to the proceedings.

I think anybody who has watched the film would agree that the film would have worked a lot more had some experienced actors been cast for the two brothers. However, it must be said that it not that they have done a bad job or been lazy. It is just that we are unable to emotionally connect with them due to the artificiality. Similarly Sentrayan also overacts in the couple of places where he is given the scope to perform.

The scenes set within the protagonist’s office seemed to have been brutally edited out just to save the runtime. The characters of the news editor and the protagonist’s girlfriend are not allowed to attain the necessary arc. There are also a few unnecessary drone shots and some ramp-walk sort of fillers that could have been avoided.