IVAN VERA MATHIRI MOVIE REVIEW

With a title like Ivan Vera Mathiri (IVM), director Sarvanan has his task cut out to deliver something that truly stands out from the crowd, not to mention his stupendous debut Engeyum Eppodhum (EE) adding to the expectations. IVM does have the content and the presentation style to solidify Saravanan’s place in the industry.

Saravanan takes up the opening moments to set up the premise effectively for the audience to buy into an ordinary individual turning into a vigilante. The scenario and the dialogues which touch a nerve with the audience play their part in establishing the film’s agenda. Some of it is almost Shankar-esque. There are moments such as the auto driver’s advice to choosing the right girl that shows that Saravanan is every bit a young audience’s director too.

IVM’s characters are well defined and the match-up between Vikram Prabhu and Vamsi is equal parts a battle of wits and a show of strength. Vamsi in particular is excellent in a role where his hands are literally tied behind his back. His demeanor is aggressive yet there are moments in the first half where you almost empathize with his predicament.

After Kumki, Vikram Prabhu continues to be framed in the mould of silent characters but he performs with the intensity that the script demands, using his expressive eyes to good effect, keeping the grip of the film intact. With this film he shows his adeptness in the action genre with an energetic display in the fight sequences.

Picking up from where he left off in EE, Saravanan designs a sweet and highly enjoyable romantic segment that has quite a bit of laughs and also introduces us to the film’s surprise package, the newcomer Surabhi, who takes the cake in the romantic portions with a cheerful performance. Her lip sync too is commendable, earning herself some credentials in the basic requirement for imported actress these days. Needless to say, she also has a large part to play in the scheme of things.

Ganesh Venkatraman plays an important addition to the proceedings and is feisty while delivering Saravanan’s dialogues that pack a punch.

The film’s other highlights are to be attributed to the stunts by Raja Sekhar. His melee styled combat is swift and exciting and his stunt men have put their bodies on the line for some breathtaking drops from high rise buildings. The other scoring area of IVM is Shakthi’s camerawork atop dizzying heights that has the audience holding their breath.

The songs, to a large extent, are sequenced well along with the screenplay making them acceptable but Sathya raises his game with his re-recording mounting tension and adding to the pace.

The early part of IVM’s second half threatens to go off the rails in terms of pace with some love segments and songs but it is rescued in time with some exciting turn of events. A few snips from the running time of 2 hours and 33 minutes could do this film a world of good.

In the end, Ivan Vera Mathiri is likely to leave you satisfied having served its well distributed portions of comedy, romance, action, suspense and all round entertainment.