VISITOR COLUMN

The much hyped Shankar directorial "I" released amidst great expectations. Vikram's different looks in the trailer as the supermodel, Bodybuilder, Hunchback and the beast already had the audience wondering. Considering the track record of the grand movie maker Shankar, I is not just expected to be a visual feast, but also break all box office records. So what is I all about?

Plot : I revolves around the bodybuilder Lingesan, whose admiration for the supermodel Diya (which gradually transforms into love) gets him into the modeling world, and his growth and acts invites the wrath of fellow models, and biggies associated with the fashion world. They inflict a huge loss for Lingesan, affecting his looks and love together. What happens when he gets to know the ugly truth behind people who robbed him of his life, how Lingesan pays back is what I is all about.

Direction : Definitely this is not the best of Shankar, but he keeps the audience hooked to the screen for the whole 3 hours, thanks to Vikram's honest efforts and inspiring performance. The modes adopted by the protagonist to demolish his enemies/destructors reminds us of Anniyan's Garuda Puranam methods, but the difference here is the technology involved in each of the destruction mode. And Shankar is back to his Indian days, where the protagonist/principal positive character did not require a handsome/young hunk - I has Vikram appearing as the hunchback for most part (Though he is stunning as the muscle man Lingesan and looks uber stylish as supermodel Lee).Shankar's screenplay is tight for most part, while he occasionally slips traversing between the flashback and the present (the cuts are unclear and unwarranted at several occasions. His partnership with Subha doesn't match his successful one with the late Sujatha, and I isn't of the same genres that the latter had worked on and hence the dialogues are just apt. Shankar as usual impresses with the visual treat he offers in almost all the songs - Pookale, Ennodu are themed well, while Aila the "product promotion" song and Mersalayiten's bike, mobile transforming Amy - grandeur Shankar style!! Lingesan's every destruction act with Vikram's "Adhukkum Mela" dialogue is sure to send the crowd go berserk.

Performances: Vikram always surprises, with his excellent acting performances. I is no exception, and here, as the wannabe Mr. India Lingesan, and as the hunchback, he shows variety, and impresses. His emotional performance as the hunchback is sure to gain the sympathy of the audience and have them teary-eyed. As the innocent bodybuilder turned supermodel in love Lingesan aka Lee he just has a cakewalk. The man and his transformation - the weight differences ranging between 85 kg and 55 kg for different looks, the body language, and his ability to display wide range of emotions deserves a standing ovation. He solely makes up for the lack of a very strong script with interesting twists. Amy Jackson is hot and oozes oomph in every frame she appears (Amy is at her glamorous best). She looks gorgeous as the supermodel in love with Lee (A little more work on lip-sync - very few misses from her side, could have added more value). Santhanam provides the much needed comic angle in the otherwise serious movie. His one liners and his presence till the end entertains big time!! Suresh Gopi is back after a while in Tamil, and he performs his role convincingly. Upen Patel as the model who wants to bring down Lee fails to impress, as his act and his poor lip sync kill the presence. The Rest of the villainy cast – Ramkumar ( Prabhu's elder brother -styled on the lines of Mallya),transgender stylist Ojas, Mr Asia 2014 Syed Siddiq look like loud caricatures, and are more funny than menacing.

Music and Cinematography : ARR has provided beautiful numbers with different styles and genre. Be it the melody pookale or the pathos ennodu, the peppy Mersalayiten or Aila aila, ARR proves his combination with Shankar is always worthy. However the BGM falls flat, except for very few places. PC Sreeram captures the beauty very well, and maintains different tones for the different looks and environments of Vikram. The visuals are stunning, and every frame keeps you spellbound. The beautiful China, the songs, the stunts, all of them are a treat to watch.

All said, this probably has to be accepted as one of Shankar's weakest scripts, though with a pacy screenplay. The plot is a very simple one - a love story that goes awry due to a betrayal, and whether the victim succeeds in his revenge. And the characterizations of the evil team - Upen, Syed Siddique, Ramkumar and Ojas is very much predictable and after a point they irritate. The evil angle of some characters revealed also doesn't surprise, as it was very much anticipated. Anthony's editing could have been definitely better. Shankar has solely relied on Vikram's dedication and performance, looks, physique, transformations, the grand visuals and richness in every frame, the glamorous Amy, and the songs of ARR, and probably did not want to stress much on a different screenplay or powerful dialogues (Sujatha missed badly!!). As a tailpiece, Shankar just gives out one message - Love sees the inner beauty and not something else.

VERDICT : The Rock solid "I" man Vikram leads I to Victory. A grand Visual feast from Shankar that belongs completely to Vikram. Must watch for Kenny's dedication.

7.5/10

P.S : Wonder how Censors certified "I" with a U/A !!  Amy Jackson - too hot to handle! Anthony and Shankar could have definitely trimmed few sequences. We've never seen a nature power bath soap ad like the one shown with Amy!!