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PAYANAM MOVIE REVIEW |
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| Review
by : Behindwoods review board |
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| Starring:
Nagarjuna, Prakash Raj, Poonam Kaur, Sana
Khan
Direction:
Radha Mohan
Music:
Praveen Mani
Production:
Prakash Raj, Dil Raju
At
a time when film makers are involved in
churning out products based on romance,
revenge or rural based themes, here is
director Radha Mohan taking the audience
on a different journey which is even different
from his earlier enterprises. The theme
of hijack and rescue are not entirely
new to film industry but what makes this
offering |
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of
Radha Mohan stand out is that he has laced the action/thriller
with humor.
A passenger flight which includes an actor, a doctor,
a politician, a priest among others is being kidnapped
by a group of terrorists who force the plane to be
taken to Rawalpindi but as fate would have it, the
plane lands in Tirupathi due to engine failure. Negotiations
begin between the government and the terrorists who
demand the release of Yousf Khan, a dreaded terrorist
in jail.
Vishwanath (Prakash Raj), the bureaucrat negotiating
on behalf of the government and Major Ravindra (Nagarjuna)
the commando for rescue operations land in the fray
along with other senior bureaucrats. Meanwhile the
government decides to release the terrorist and he
is being brought to Tirupathi. Rest of Payanam is
about how this hijack and rescue drama is brought
to an end with interesting events dotting its path.
Payanam unfolds rather slowly and takes its time to
garner momentum. However from the moment, Nagarjuna
takes control of the affairs, it picks up pace with
an impressive last 20 minutes that elevates the suspense
quotient.
Through various sequences Radha Mohan brings out the
typical bureaucratic procrastinations, the irresponsibility
of the press to go to any length to sensationalize
an issue and the loopholes in the system. On the emotional
side, he showcases the latent and impotent anger in
common citizen and the diverse mindsets of people
caught in such a situation in a realistic manner.
Radha Mohan takes digs at the film world wherever
he gets a chance and they are indeed hilarious. Gnanavel’s
dialogues lean more on levity which earns applause
in places.
Nagarjuna after a long gap in Tamil films, appears
as the National Security Guard and brings out a neat
portrayal along with Bharath Reddy. Prakash Raj as
the helpless bureaucrat Vishwanath fits his role.
Among the various passengers, the ones who stand out
in performance is Thalaivasal Vijay followed by Kumaravel
and Chaams. Bhramanandam as the film director impresses
with his small cameo and the artist who doubles up
as Yusuf Khan is amazing. Chaams as the ardent fan
of actor Chandrakanth (Prithviraj) brings the roof
down with his adulation and expectations of the star
and the way he mouths his hero’s punch dialogues.
Later on the scorn on his face on realizing his matinee
idol is after all a worthless normal man is brilliant.
There are no songs in the film and Praveen Mani’s
RR brings out the desired mood. Art director Kathir
needs a special mention to have recreated Tirupathi
airport and the authentic interiors of the plane.
Cinematographer Guhan’s camera works in tandem
with the mood of the film with his right kind of angles
and lighting.
It is strange to note that, few passengers seem to
enjoy the hijack drama and do not show any kind of
anxiety towards what is happening. One may also wonder
whether the hijackers would be lenient enough to allow
a mimicry session on board in the midst of an event
of such a serious proportion. Although humor shares
equal space with action and suspense, a slight swaying
on the lighter side dilutes the serious effect a wee
bit which could have been taken care of.
Verdict: A decent ride!
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| Tags
: Payanam,
Nagarjuna,
Prakash
Raj, Poonam
Kaur, Radha
mohan,
Praveen
Mani |
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