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ASAL
MOVIE REVIEW |
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Review
by : Behindwoods review board |
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Starring:
: Ajith, Sameera Reddy, Bhavana.
Direction:
Saran
Music:
Bharadwaj
Production:
Sivaji Productions |
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The
Ajith-Saran combination is at
it again. Asal is in theaters
and it is celebration time for
all Ajith fans. The stakes are
bigger this time with Asal being
Ajith’s 49th film and
it is also special because the
titles of the film name Ajith
as co-director of the movie.
He is also credited for the
story, screenplay and dialogues
along with Saran and Yuhi Sethu.
So, has the additional responsibility
and control for Ajith worked
well for Asal?
Asal is a story of feud between
three brothers over property;
two brothers (Sampath Kumar
and Rajeev Krishna) on one side
with their avarice for all the
wealth with the righteous third
trying to stop the family from
breaking down. No marks for
guessing who is the righteous
one, who else but Ajith Kumar?!
The feud that exists as an undercurrent
in the presence of their father
(Ajith again) turns ugly and
personal after he passes away.
It grows bigger with the two
brothers joining in to elbow
out Ajith. He graciously steps
aside, only wanting to keep
cordial relations. But, the
two brothers are just not able
to handle the huge wealth and
the responsibility that it brings.
Their wealth attracts trouble
and it is up to Ajith to come
back and save his brothers.
Do things end there or does
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the feud continue, does wealth disintegrate
the family and how does Ajith conquer all
the odds? Watch Asal to find out.
The first and most important thing about
Asal is that it is an out and out Ajith
movie. Not that anyone needs to be told
this, it is an obvious fact. But, Asal is
a full length celebration of Ajith’s
persona, something his fans will absolutely
adore. But, the film does have its weak
points too. It is indeed sad that such a
potential team ended up shooting a rather
weak script. The main defect here is the
characters sketch of the villains. They
just don’t seem menacing or threatening
enough to stand up to Ajith. It robs the
excitement out of the confrontations making
it look like cakewalks for Ajith. The only
strong negative character (Kelly Dorji)
is finished off prematurely which also stunts
the growth of Ajith’s character. It
is also pretty dampening that the much expected
Ajith double act is only there for the first
few minutes in the film. It should also
be said that the opening sequences of the
film do leave you a bit disappointed; the
intros just don’t pack a punch. But,
on the brighter side, the script does manage
to throw a few surprises when you least
expect them, like the one at the interval
point. Saran has been successful in keeping
the viewer guessing about certain things
right until the end. The climax portions
however should have been better. The finish
looks literally forced into the script,
with a fight inside a warehouse. There is
not much room for romance. But, whatever
little is there looks good. The silent tussle
between Sameera and Bhavana over who gets
Ajith is cute and Saran could have extended
it a bit. One thing about the movie that
could have been much better is the placement
of songs; most of them look like appendages
hanging loosely out of the main narrative.
As said above, this movie is all about Ajith
and his persona. It would not be wrong to
say that at many points it seems as if Ajith,
the star, has been given more importance
than the script itself. Trust Ajith to carry
off a larger than life role with ease. He
strides the screen with ease, having a presence
that few others can boast of. He looks stylish
in every frame; the hairstyle, the sideburns
and the cigar sit well on him. In fact,
Ajith’s presence is one of the main
factors that stops one from getting bored.
Sampath, Rajeev Krishna and Pradeep Rawat
do their jobs as villains without too great
an impact. As said above, their characters
look like weak adversaries for Ajith. Sameera
Reddy has a role of consequence in the movie
and does pretty well, but there is no huge
scope for performance. Bhavana looks cute
in a role that demands only as much. She
however impresses with her dance moves in
the first part of the Dushyantha song. Yuhi
Sethu tries hard to provide a few comic
moments, succeeding partially on the rare
occasion; his side kicks trying hard with
a few gimmicks as well. Prabhu is a dignified
presence.
The fact that this is a film made under
Sivaji Productions can be sensed in the
way the film has shaped up. The producer
has left no stone unturned to make the film
look rich, slick and sophisticated throughout.
Be it the sets, the interiors, the locations
or costumes, no expense has been spared.
The story is set mainly in France, with
a portion happening in Mumbai. The richness
of the streets France has been transferred
beautifully onto screen by Prashanth’s
camera. The camerawork keeps the viewer
visually pleased, partially compensating
for flaws in the script. Action should have
been better. Only the fight between Ajith
and Kelly close to the interval stirs up
excitement, it is plain on all other occasions.
Music by Bharadwaj does not lend any strength
to the movie, except Dushyantha and the
BGM looks pretty unimaginative. Dialogues
focus mostly on the word ‘Thala’
and the different ways in which it can be
used. Imaginative for sure, but it could
have been toned down a bit. Nevertheless,
it does provide fans with an opportunity
to cheer loudly.
Asal is a complete Ajith centric entertainer
with lots of style and sophistication. Yes,
the script is weak and there are other flaws
too, but the movie does not leave you bored
or exasperated. Ajith satisfies his fans,
but Saran disappoints a bit with the way
he has handled such a great team, better
results were definitely on. Visually pleasing
with about 2.5 hours of running time, Asal
is will not have you yawning, nor will it
have you asking for more.
Verdict:
This Asal will gain no great interest
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