Actors: Suriya, Joju George, Pooja Hegde, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, etc.
Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Rating: 1.5/5 stars
After Kanguva’s disappointment, Suriya returns with another ambitious project – this time a gangster legend, 1960s. Unfortunately, the retro facts prove to be another misfire, weighed by a trade-off of fragile plot and slow narratives.
The film, known as a mixture of “love, laughter and war”, resonated in any of these ways. What we get is the chaos of genres that lack emotional depth or narrative cohesion.
Suriya plays a troubled soul, hurt by a traumatized childhood and a loss of a beloved mother. When he grew up as an angry young man, violence became his default mode until the character of Pooja Hegde enters his life. Her presence inspired him to change, to give up violence and seek peace. But fate has other plans. Their love story was shortened by separation, and the emotional weight at this turning point never completely dropped.
The idea of Karthik Subbaraj turning a breeding gangster into a clown – some make others laugh – may sound promising on paper. But the execution failed seriously. The rhythm drags down, and the storytelling lacks faith. Even though the film is at the heart of romance, even the chemistry between Suriya and Pooja cannot be ignited. Unless there are some gentle moments, this is just another formulaic redemption arc that doesn’t offer anything new.
Joju George is known for his powerful performances in films like Irratta and Pani, and here he shortens the comics. His character shouted, far beyond his speech and never surpassed a single emotional note. Other supporters who play the doctor-turned-comic relief, Prakash Raj and Jayaram, are equally underutilized, and the latter’s jokes tend to be flatter.
The film begins with a narrative about Lord Krishna and quickly introduces us to the gangster Tiragan (Joju George) and his wife Sandhya. A boy born to Krishna Jayanthi is caught by the couple, without speculation – this is Suriya’s character. The story then tells a predictable arc of father-son conflict that eventually climaxes in the violent confrontation on the wedding day and stays in prison.
To its credit, Suriya got the appearance and body of the 80s gangster scene. He offers sincere performances, but the boring script and direction makes him hardly work with him. Pooja Hegde looks pretty in her retro avatar, with some graceful moments, but she ends up being eliminated.
There is an impressive long view in the wedding hall, with multiple characters and conversations taking place in the context of songs and celebrations. This is a glance that Flair Karthik Subbaraj once showed in films like Pizza and Jigarthanda. Unfortunately, most of the sparks are missing here.
Finally, it’s a confused, dramatic film that cannot live up to the expectations set by its actors and directors. While there are some isolated moments of visual or emotional attraction, it lacks the close story and character depth needed to really attract the audience.
