Franklin D. Roosevelt once said-“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on”. S P Charan seems to have hung on. It is apparent from the conviction he has showed in his latest offering- Aaranya Kaandam. Every human being has a breaking point. This man is special. The order from the CBFC to implement 52 cuts and the provision of an A certificate has not perturbed this singer turned producer. His uphill struggle and perseverance have paid off. The movie is exquisite. It will go down as a meritorious accomplishment in the history of Tamil cinema. The efforts of the entire team are worth mentioning, not to forget the writer director.

The early parts of the film are dawdling but to the viewer’s delight, it is backed by swift paced screenplay up till the closing stages. Notwithstanding the fact that the story is chestnut, the narration is top-notch.

The aestheticization of violence is gilt-edged but a couple of moves have most certainly crossed the limit and are uncalled for. There are traces of Pulp Fiction but even an attempt at reprising the classic and a successful one in that deserves to be applauded. The sequence involving the cock fight has undeniably missed the editor’s scissors, especially bearing in mind the rip roaring success of Aadukalam earlier this year. Repeated reference to this happening during the conversations between relevant parties does not help the director’s cause.

The filmmaker’s decision to part with songs is an extremely elegant move. The script does not necessitate romantic duets with lip sync. The film score comprises of plenty of well orchestrated musical pieces that embellish the well written narrative.

The comedy in the film is exceedingly murky but some of the one liner’s are striking. A number of the artists have done justice to their role. Some of them hardly fit their character sketches. On the bright side, Sampath gets a meaty role to bring out his acting prowess. 

A question may arise as to why unorthodox cinema is often based on mafia and the dark world. It stands to reason that there are no set patterns in an unrealistic world. There are no standard rules as to what has to be showcased on the silver screen much similar to Superman, Batman or for that matter the world famous Harry Potter. The creativity of the writer has no barriers. As we all know- “Revenge is a dish best served cold”. Consequently, the inclusion of violence becomes imperative. The drama may be alarming to the audience but in most cases the credibility of the happenings may not be questioned. The man wielding the megaphone has selected a well laid path.

It is not a question of whether violence has been included in a script or not. It is a question of how it has been filmed and the inventive methods used.

I recently read that” The most important part of a magic trick is the Prestige and it refers to the climactic surprise that seals a successful trick.” Kumaraja sure does seal the show on that premise

Bottomline: "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."- Dale Carnegie. Here is a classic example.