Yennai Arindhaal: Been There, Done That

This one scene tells you a lot about this movie.

On learning that his daughter has been kidnapped, super cop Satyadev rushes to the spot and finds that his men have been killed. Even as his mind tries to make sense of the situation, his first reaction is, "I should not have sent her to school, even though she insisted."

That's Gautam Vasudev Menon's lead character for you - a shrewd cop who wears his emotions on his sleeves. One who is willing to take risks and is also brave enough to accept his follies and regrets. He loves his work but not more than his family, so much that does not mind leaving the coveted job to spend time with them. He does not think twice before falling in love and is not commitment phobic. It is perhaps this characteristic that differentiates Yennai Arindhaal's Satyadev IPS (Ajith Kumar) from Kaakha Kaakha's Anbuselvan or even Vettaiyaadu Vilayadu's Raghavan - the human face behind the tough act.

The biggest challenge was to make a film that caters to the larger-than-life image of Thala aka Ajith and still keep the movie grounded. You have to commend both the director and the actor for maintaining the balance. The sensitivity with which Satyadev's journey from a young braveheart cop to a seasoned police officer is captured tells you why Menon is an ace at this game. The maturity goes much beyond the salt and pepper hair, it reflects in the character's dialogues, his expressions and reaction to situations. It is transition from being his father's son to being his daughter's father. And Ajith waltz through the role like a dream. He brings Satyadev to life with his high energy yet poised performance. His bond with his daughter Isha (Baby Anika) is heart rendering and depicts a relationship which hasn't been explored much in our films. Though Harris Jayaraj's music for the film otherwise brings a sense of déjà vu but his "Unnakku Enna Vennum Sollu" provides the perfect melody to bring out the father-daughter love.

The director uses the same rose-tinted glasses to show you the subtle romance between Satyadev and Hemanika (Trisha looking drop-dead gorgeous as the charming and talented Bharatanatyam exponent). He falls for her, pursues her and even proposes marriage, in scenes that looked right out of a fairy tale book. The scene where he requests Hemanika's daughter Isha to convince her mom to marry him surely would garner many heavy sighs. Trisha does justice to her short yet substantial role. She owes a lot to the director for giving her a much-needed image change, be it as Jessi (Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya) or as Hemanika.

Gautam Menon has a knack for creating individualistic personas for his heroine and manages to gives them an equal footing. It is no different in this film either. Though Anushka's role as Thenmozhi is pretty much about playing the victim, and be protected and rescued, she gets the strongest introduction than anyone else in the film. The first half an hour of the film pretty much belongs to her.

If there is anyone else whose performance deserves a special mention, it is Arun Vijay. He is definitely the find of the film, or a re-discovery rather. He gives a fitting competition to Satyadev as Victor. He is fit as a fiddle and his physique stands out especially, given that fitness is not Ajith's plus point. He brings in the required dramatics to the role, though his reasons for seeking revenge are not too convincing. His telephone conversation with Satyadev in the end is a class act.

In the end, it is the storyline that leaves you asking for more. Be it the cunning, loud villain playing mind games, falling for a divorced woman with a kid, the personal tragedy or the race in the end to save the loved one, it is the same old beaten track. May be the director lacked new ideas or, perhaps, it was intentional, but the film takes you back to his previous cop hits in way too many instances. But there was something in his earlier films that completely lacks in this one - the suspense factor. You are pretty much able to gauge where the scene is headed to, leaving nothing to anticipation.

What makes the film watchable despite a weak story is Ajith (who has given his best performance in recent times) and his romance with Trisha, and all that little emotional moments that Gautam Menon manages to pack into this three-hour long trench.

Three and half stars Review by Mangala Ramamoorthy

Yennai Arindhaal: Been There, Done That

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