VISITOR COLUMN

 

Aarambam featured a star-studded cast, with Ajith leading the proceedings with his iconic salt-and-pepper look. As a vigilante seeking revenge or an honest ATS squad member, he was at his best. Apart from that, he looked suave and stylish throughout the film with his attire. Arya played the role of a hacker by the name of Arjun and he fitted the bill well. He also provided some moments of comic relief in the film. Nayathara returned for a third time in an Ajith film, and she sizzled on-screen and performed well. Taapsee Pannu played the role of a journalist and also Arya's pair. She did justice to her role. Her innocent expressions are cute and her pairing with Arya is an apt decision. The rest of the cast consisting of some experienced faces such as Atul Kulkarni, Mahesh Manjrekar (in his Tamil debut), Kishore performed according to the requirements of the character. Rana Daggubati, also in his Tamil debut had a short but significant role. He too, performed adequately (we all know what he is capable of) according to the character requirements.
 

 

Like all other Vishnuvardhan films, Aarambam also featured a strong line-up of technical crew. Om Prakash was the DoP and he did a magnificent job. Every frame looked rich and the action sequences were expertly canned.  His work do bear similarities to Nirav Shah's. Vishnu's regular editor, Sreekar Prasad ensured that the film maintained its steady pace and there were no draggy moments. Another Vishnu regular, Yuvan Shankar Raja provided wonderful songs for the soundtrack but his background score seemed somewhat ineffective unlike Billa or Mankatha. The stunts were much-talked about during the shoot of the film and the end product by Lee Whittaker and Kecha was of top-quality.
 

 

The film does have its share of minuses such as tacky explosion visual effects and sudden shifts in the narration but overall it is a well-packaged action-thriller by Vishnuvardhan. Thala's screen presence and the strong cast add value to the film. Aarambam is not Ajith's best film but he did a wonderful job in this complete, stylish and sleek Diwali entertainer. If you enjoyed Hollywood and Bollywood actioners with logical flaws, then don't question the logic and enjoy this slick offering. 
 

 

Verdict: 2013 Diwali is definitely Thala Diwali !

Rating: 3/5