| After
watching Aayirathil Oruvan the
very first day morning 7AM show,
I had mixed feelings about the
result of the movie; but there
was never a second thought in
applauding the man, who made
it possible, Selva......
What I saw was a spectacle hitherto
unseen in Tamil cinema, something
which many film makers would
not have even dreamt of!
There have been mixed reviews
about the movie alright but
one cannot deny that this movie
will be a trendsetter if not
a masterpiece.
There are N number of highlights
and highpoints in the movie
and before listing them, let
me explain the points.
Hiccup 1: the beginning of the
second half of the movie which
somewhat fails to sustain the
wonder n magic of the 1st half
(doesn't mean it is too bad)
Hiccup 2: the final 15 minutes
which probably look of the world
(actually I guess Selva would
have had no option to end the
movie in a better manner since
he had gone deep into the history).
Also that particular portion
is an indirect resemblance to
the plight of Srilankan Tamils,
so it is obviously not likeable
to watch on screen. Here is
where I seriously feel that
Selva should have contrived
a better end with an element
of fantasy. But heard that there
has been editing and the movie
is far crisper now.
But there is no doubt that the
second half is very absorbing
and would definitely make one
think.
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Now coming to the highpoints
1. The genre of the movie:
The makers can boldly say with their heads
held high that this is the first attempt
on such genre in Tamil cinema. Also this
movie is entirely Selva's
brainchild, without lift off from any novels/movies.
Simply fascinating story and one of the
best screenplays that today's cinema has
seen. He has touched upon a lot of issues
in this movie but at the same time not lost
the plot.
2. The first half: This
actually makes us wonder whether we are
watching some Hollywood movie. Such is the
pace of the movie and also the screenplay
that leaves you applauding throughout and
also yearning for more!
3. The lead actors: You
have got to applaud Karthi not just for
his acting prowess (he has already proved
that in Paruthiveeran) but also for dedicating
2 years for a movie that is not entirely
hero-centric. He has indeed put his heart
and soul into this to realize Selva's dreams.
And Reema!!! This girl has amazed us and
her performance in the second half really
is spell-binding and the same with Parthiban.
Andrea has also played her part to perfection.
4. Technical aspects: Provided
the limitation in terms of budget and experimentation,
AO is technically the best film ever in
the history of Tamil cinema. The CG is also
great. And GV’s music and the background
score proves that he has joined the big
league of music composers… Specially
Un mela Aasadhaan is a visual treat and
a scream and so soul touching is the lyrics
and music in “ Nel aadiya nilamenge????
5. Locations: The so called
commercial film makers fly abroad to shoot
dream songs which are completely irrelevant
to the film, but here is a movie which travels
across deserts, water, forests and so on....
and every location belongs to our own India.
A special applause for this.
6. Selvaraghavan: He has
spent 32 crores and 3 years making this
film and after watching it, we feel that
the time and money spent is indeed worth.
The research and pain undergone in making
this movie shows in every frame, every scene,
every location and in the number of junior
artists involved. This man has indeed thrown
open a challenge to make movies based on
fantasy and history and also a combination
of both. The screenplay is just a marathon
effort by Selva though I am not sure how
successful it will be commercially.
The ancient Tamil, Wow how soothing to the
ear it is! Take a bow Selva. Hats off to
you, for your imagination to think in such
a progressively different manner.
We need many more efforts like this from
Selva and also many more directors like
Selva who can create such magic on screen
and in the process elevate Tamil cinema
to an international level.
7. RAMJI: Without this
man AO is like a baby dead in the mother's
womb. Words would be insufficient to describe
this gentleman's work in this movie. He
has put his heart and soul into the movie
which shows in every frame. Hats off Sir!!!
This man deserves as much praise, applauds
and awards as Selva if not more.
Arun Kumar
kumar.aruntn@gmail.com
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