UDHAYAM NH4 MOVIE REVIEW

'Udhayam NH4', was an ambitious project of Vetrimaaran with his buddy Dhanush, which unfortunately did not materialize into a full-fledged film. Now, the script has been handed down to an associate of Vetri and has a different cast, than what was initially drawn. With the big contribution of Vetrimaaran, who is known for his fantastic writing, in the scripting stage, this film promises a good and neat thriller. So, did Manimaran live up to Vetri's standard ?

Siddharth, is once again back after his last success, 'Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Eppadi'. He pulls in a very restrained and nonchalant performance. There is a no non-sense approach to his character, which is kind of laid-back and casual, but smart and witty. His dialogue delivery was very measured. But, somehow his role looks too obviously written with Dhanush in mind, and there are plenty of sequences, where you can imagine Dhanush and see how fitting he is for the character. No discredits to Siddharth, but the 'presence' of Dhanush in the script was inevitable, in the end. Debutant Ashrita Shetty (Devapriya has dubbed for her), fits the role of an under-aged girl, but more emotions and expressions are warranted, if she aspires to survive in the industry. Veteran Hindi artiste, Kay Kay Menon was terrific in his role as the cop. His timing and cool persona, added with the rough and arrogant nature of his job, helps him to pull off a brilliant performance. Welcome to Tamizh cinema, Kay Kay ! The rest of the cast such as Naren, Avinash, Surekha Vaani, Karthik Sabesh, Deepak, Ajay, Rohit Balaiah and etc, especially the friends characters of Siddharth were adequate.

The film carries very good technical works from the technical department. Anu and Priya's costume was adequate for each artistes' roles. Dhilip Subbarayan's stunt choreography was raw and gritty, especially the ones' done in the climax and in the clubbing arena. G.Durairaj's art work was good, especially when one is has to deal with lower budgets. The interiors of the Bengaluru apartments, as well as clubbing houses, were well detailed and convincing, but the tight spaces do show off. Kishore T.E's editing was razor sharp. There are no spaces in between dialogues, and the cuts comes in a rapid manner ! S.Saravanan handles the editing for two of the songs, which were neatly handled. R.Velraj once again proves that he is one of the best cinematographers in Tamizh cinema. The gripping, stylish and roving cinematography complements the thrill element of the script. And he is certainly one of the best, in filming darkly-lit sequences. Check out his cameo appearance in the film, as well !

G.V Prakash Kumar, who is on a roll with big films in his kitty, continues his decent form in 'Udhayam NH4' as well. "Vaa Iravugalil", is the opening number, picturized on the gang of Siddharth and his buddies, getting used to the colorful and lively night life of Bengaluru, especially in clubs and discotheques. The fast-cut editing by S.Saravanan, keeps the racy element intact and the creative statutory warning infused in between the song, was interesting. "Ore Kannaale" is a situational song and has the singer Gaana Bala, making an appearance as well. The song was picturized on a street-stage performance model, and has quirky dance moves. "Yaaro Ivan" is the melodious number, with plenty of montage sequences, shot on the lead pair, romancing in and around Bengaluru, along the beaches, streets, mall, college campus and etc. "Indrodu Thadaigal" is another fast-paced song, with neat editing by S.Saravanan and colorful lighting by R.Velraj, and G.Durairaj's set work was adequate. The background score was a little loud, and could have been more racier.

Vetrimaaran, once again proves that he is very good with his writing skills. He takes credit for the story and dialogues, and also pens the screenplay along with the director Manimaran. There's nothing new in the story, but the racy screenplay and clean narration, makes the film to click. The intelligent and unexpected twists and turns adds to the fun quotient. The comedy portions were very well handled, and Vetrimaaran's organic dialogues played a big part. The director has handled the script well, by infusing sensible, small detailing in the film, which adds more authenticity to the film (including the voice dubbing by Deepa Venkat). But Manimaran could have given more attention to the hero's role, in order to erase the 'presence' of Dhanush's personality into Siddharth's role. Besides that, disappointingly, there are some small loopholes and loose-ends in the script, which should have been rectified. The films moves in a fast pace in the first half, but looses the tautness in the second half, after key moments have gone through.

'Udhayam NH4' is a clean-cut film, which delivered what it promised. Nothing less, nothing more. A simple and clean commercial thriller, with good performances and technical outputs.


Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL