PAYANAM MOVIE REVIEW

Prakash Raj as a producer has delivered some feel good breezy movies all under the baton ship of Radha Mohan and they've joined hands once again. But the only difference is that, this time they've gone for a thriller and that too of a flight hijack. This is something new and unattested in Tamizh cinema and it was interesting to see how much they've captured the essence of the theme and also to see how Radha Mohan has come out of his soft and mellifluous themed movies. Moreover Telugu major star Nagarjuna is back to Tamizh cinema after a very long gap.

Radha Mohan has dished out a pretty good decent thriller. Though the films picks up the pace only after Nagarjuna's character was introduced, Radha Mohan has ensured that the screenplay doesn't deviate from the main theme with unnecessary elements. He deserves a pat for underlining the ineffectiveness of the elected government who are more interested in holding to their power, the selfish acts of media people who goes to certain extent just to sensationalize issues by giving false statements and even endangering the lives of others just for the sake of higher TRP ratings. As the case in Unnaipol Oruvan, the common man's anger and frustrations on political and religious issues are also highlighted well through Gnanavel's dialogues which are hard hitting at certain times. The best part of the film is definetly the last 20 minutes of the film which is laced with suspense. Technically the film is good, with Guhan's camera capturing well the interiors of the hijacked plane and also of the airport. But the real hero of the film is the art director Kadhir who has done a really fabulous job in the art department. The detailings on the flight and also of the Tirupathi Airport was near perfect. Kudos to him. Praveen Mani's rerecording is passable thought the only title track was good.

On the acting front, Prakash Raj and Nagarjuna has done their roles as the bereaucrat and commando respectively, in a very dignified manner. Prakash Raj's best must be the scene where he bursts in anger and could no longer be patient with the demands of the terrorist. He poured his anger our, literally. Nagarjuna did a cool role with no heroism although the dubbing voice didn't really elevate the originality feel. Other than these 2, the big supporting cast are the main pillars of the movie. The variety of characters, Kumararaja as the patriotic unemployed youth, Manobala as the popular TV astrologer, Prithviraj as 'Shining Star' Chandrakanth and Sams as his big ardent fan, Thalaivasal Vijay as the Rte Colonel, Rishi as a doctor and Sana Khan as the ordinary teenage gal, MS Baskar as the priest and a whole lot more of them. Each and everyone of them performed to their best and was really convincing. Sams and Pritviraj episodes was really hilarious but the scene stealer is the actor who impersonates as Yusuf Khan, terrorist role.. He was simply awesome with the scared to death kind of role and together with Brahmanandam, they rocked the scenes. MS Baskar has done a serious role this time with conviction. Overall each one of them delivered they're best..

On the whole, Radha Mohan has dished out a different movie which appeals to all section of audience. Hope this movie succeeds to spur on more good films in Tamizh cinema. Let the journey continue on.


Rating: 3.5/5 STARS

BY: TAMIL