There seems to be quite a fancy going around with the date 11.11.11. And, that too with it being a Friday, quite a few movies tried to make this dramatic release date a publicity tool. Was Naan Sivanagiren also trying to do the same? We cannot be sure. The makers have tried to produce a suspense thriller with a message! After watching this movie, one has to say that trying to convey a ‘message’ at the end of a movie has become a sort of a cliché in recent times. Even films that offer nothing substantial in terms of content try to squeeze something at the end that passes off as a message; as if that would absolve them of making a sorry movie to start with.

Naan Sivanagiren deals with the skewed mindset of a youngster who became so because of many distasteful experiences in his childhood. The movie starts off with showing many random murders all over Chennai city. They all seem to bear a resemblance, but the police are nowhere close to finding the killer. And, a new ACP is deputed to handle the sensational serial murders in town. Who is behind these murders, what is the motive and was the culprit nabbed?

The concept of one wronged person taking it upon himself to punish all others who are committing sins is something that is often seen in Tamil cinema. It is a case where you can no longer avenge on your own and therefore select similar cases and intervene in them, thus seeking a personal and sadistic satisfaction. Here, the modus and the motive are the ones that should hold the audiences’ attention. But, sadly the director has not been able to establish an intelligent modus, nor does the lengthy flashback, giving us the reason for such disturbed behaviour, earn the person any sympathy. What drags the movie further down is the arrival of the heroine who takes pity on the protagonist far too soon for the audience to digest. Their relationship is not sketched well. Finally, if the police investigation following the killer had been shown in an interesting manner, things could have been better. But, it all falls flat as the police is not required to investigate anything; everything seems to be handed to it on a platter; even the killer’s identity. These are too serendipitous to accept.

Finally, we can undeniably see shades of some super hit thrillers of the past which includes Sigappu Rojakkal. If you look closely, you will also be able to notice similarities with many other films.

Everything about the film is on a mediocre level. The story and screenplay are complete let downs. The camera work is highly inconsistent and the music is just passable. It is one of those movies which make you restless right from the start to finish.

The only bright spot you can take away from this movie is the performance of Uday Karthik, the lead protagonist. He shows the ability to adapt to the character.  The heroine Varsha and Adithya as the ACP are disappointments.

And, finally the movie tries to finish by delivering a message on work life balance. It must be said here that movies must earn the right to spread messages through their overall quality.

Naan Sivanagiren is a movie that is mediocre throughout. You can evidently see attempts at recreating the magic of some of yesteryear’s thrillers. But, this is not even a patch on any of them.

Verdict: Poor attempt, poor results!