LENS MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Vetri Maaran always has the knack to spot the right talents and introduce them to Kollywood. After Udhayam NH4, Kaakka Muttai, the acclaimed director has yet again given a notable film through his banner Grassroot Films. Yes, we are talking about Lens, directed by independent debut filmmaker Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan.

Lens neither falls into the mainstream category nor in the artistic category. It has some real intense moments that will make you excited and thrilled, but the core theme of the movie is not catered for the mainstream family audience. The film is an honest attempt to make a sensible cinema, that talks about the dangers and dark side of consuming pornographic videos and cyber sex crime. Lens can be labeled as a never before seen film in Kollywood, which throws out a strong message with a decent, engaging narration.

What happens when Aravind, a womanizer, and a porn addict, gets entangled in the plan of Yohan, a frustrated young man? While the director Jayaprakash himself plays the role of the womanizer, Yohan’s character is played by Anand Sami. Yohan wants Aravind to be a witness of his suicide, and hence he makes a Skype video call to Aravind. Why does he want to commit suicide and out of so many lakhs of people in the city, why did Yohan choose Aravind? There’s an untold horrifying past, which unfolds as the movie slowly progresses by.

Though the director has taken ample time to establish the character of Yohan, it is an interestingly written, well-etched out character. Only while you finish watching the movie, you can decide upon who is good and who is bad, between Aravind and Yohan. The girl, who plays Yohan’s wife is an interesting find, who makes a high impact with her performance.

Even minuscule detailings add value to the core plot and the screenplay. It takes guts to show pornographic websites in the frame, and the director must be appreciated for his attempt without any compromises. Right from the first title card frame, there are many such moments in the film, which you might not have come across in Tamil cinema.

The film’s engagement might be a concern for a certain section of the audience, as it loses a bit out on that factor and stands high on emotions in the second half. However, it becomes a little predictable in the second half, and you tend to guess, how the next scene is going to be like. The film is made in English for the International Film Festivals and Award ceremonies, and now, as it should reach out to the common public in its theatrical version, the dialogues have been dubbed into Tamil, and hence, there are quite a few lip sync issues. Apart from the lead actors, the performances of other cast look weak.

G.V.Prakash’s background score helps to enhance the film’s emotions, and the talented music composer has even composed a song for the theatrical version of the movie, which is soothing. Even with the very limited resource and production value, the visuals look rich and convincing, and we have to appreciate cinematographer S.R.Kathir for that.

Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan has given one brutally honest film that might impact you in many ways, as it will connect to many of today’s teenagers and youngsters. The film handles a very sensitive subject, and even going slightly beyond the border line, might have backfired the movie. Jayaprakash’s matured way of handling the story and screenplay is notable in that context.

LENS VIDEO REVIEW