The conversations in this film are mostly thought-provoking and philosophical. When Vijay Antony is hesitant to tell about his past, Saranya empathetically asks, “Yaarapathi yaaruku thaan mulusa theriyum? (We don’t truly know anyone, do we?)” When two people are ready to sacrifice their love for their friend, one of them says, “Namma aasa padiye elaam nadakaadhu, adhukaaga aasai padratha nirutha mudiyuma (Not everything will happen according to our wish, but it doesn’t mean we stop wishing for things)” When the chief agent (Sarathkumar) helps Vijay Antony, the former asserts, “Seri ah irukuradha vida, nimadhi ah irukanum (More than being right, you should lead a peaceful life).” And you get the drift. These are intriguing dialogues but an overdose of such interactions makes several sequences sound artificial. The major exception is when Saranya Ponvannan goes about sharing such thoughts as advice – she somehow magically makes all of it seem natural.
This Andaman feels like the heavenly space that Theri’s Mithra (Samantha) would be more than happy to live in: It rains whenever you think and there is a cute puppy that everyone is fond of. The people are also extremely mature and understanding. But they seem too ideal to be real. As I said, two people are ready to sacrifice their love for a third person. Someone pays rupees two thousand for two cups of tea and everyone seems to be waiting on command to sacrifice. It is a world where even the villain cares about every single goon working under him! When Saranya Ponvannan and Vijay Antony exhibit this kind of altruistic love, you find it pleasant and joyful. But when every character, including the merciless, arrogant villain, decides to become too good, you begin to see the cracks in the screenplay. It’s sweet when the villain has a change of heart, but a sudden mix of heartless and selfless just doesn’t work.
Burma is in love with Sowmya (Megha Akash), who is trying to fight against a merciless loan shark Daali (Daali Dhananjay). And Vijay Antony takes it upon himself to protect all these people. So, one or the other issue is constantly brewing, which keeps you hooked to the screen. When the hero is playing his mind games, staying one step ahead of the villain, the film moves at a racy pace. However, when things fall into the action space, it’s stretched to an extent that the constant fighting tires you.
In a film that seems to be always in a hurry to convey too many things, the one that best helps you understand the protagonist is ironically a scene with no dialogue or fight. When Vijay Antony finds a puppy wheezing in pain during a heavy downpour, he lets his hatred for rain take a back seat and gets completely drenched as he carefully protects the puppy. And it tells you who he is as a person and how he’s willing to put his life on the line to protect others. This subtle detailing in writing is what the rest of the film misses.
Rating – 2/5
