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EDITOR'S PICK
Rating:**1/2
Director Selvaraghavan`s long-awaited "Aayirathil Oruvan", which has
been touted as his dream project, is a brave attempt at seeking novelty in the
world of Tamil cinema. Breaking away from the shackles of the stereotypes, the
director transports us to a whole new world...and we are dumbstruck by the
visuals, the packaging and his unique way of storytelling.
The jet-paced first half offers comedy, action, eye-catching songs, stunning
visuals and grandeur. However, the film fails to impress as a whole, as it gets
diluted in the second half due to the over-ambitious and illogical approach of
the director.
In the movie, the government appoints a secret team led by archaeologist Anitha
Pandian (Reema) and a military officer Ravi (Azhagamperumal) to track down the
missing links after an archaeologist (Pratap Pothen) vanishes into thin air
during his mission to discover the lost Chola civilization!
To reach the lost city, Lavanya, the missing archaeologist`s daughter is roped
into the mission. A group of labourers led by Muthu (Karthi) helps the team
carry their luggage and wade through the tough and inhospitable terrain and face
hidden dangers and nature`s fury.
After a tedious expedition, they stumble on the lost Chola king (Parthiban) and
his people and find hitherto unheard of and unexplained links between them and
the world`s earliest cultures. What follows is a series of bizarre happenings
that try to disentangle the whole mystery.
The fight sequence with the tribal folk and the arduous journey through
thousands of snakes are some of the best scenes the film has to offer. The minus
points are the length of the movie and the grave flaws in the screenplay.
Some questions are bound to come to mind - If the team suffers due to the
mystique powers of the Chola dynasty, why couldn`t the kingdom save itself from
extinction using the same powers?
The inexplicable `avatar` of Reema as the heir of the Pandian dynasty leaves
much to be desired. The three rulers in south India - the Cheras, the Cholas and
the Pandyas - are said to have led a civilized life unlike the way depicted by
Selvarghavan, who shows them as cannibals. That is a bit too much to digest!
The fantasy element has been stretched too far...the director takes everything
for granted in his pursuit to present a `stunning` film.
The cinematography by Ramji is brilliant and G.V. Prakash`s background score and
music are good. "Un Mela Aasadhan" sung by Selva`s younger brother and
actor Dhanush, Aishwarya Dhanush and Andrea is a rocker.
Reema brings an uninhibited tempo to her role and the director has extracted a
fine performance from her. Andrea is likeable and seems to have enjoyed her
role. Karthi is lovable and humorous. His MGR-like punch-lines get thunderous
applause.
Selvaraghavan is trying to widen the frontiers of commercial cinema and he
deserves to be applauded for this. But he has failed to keep up the viewers`
interest in the second half, which goes wayward.
"Aayirathil Oruvan" is undoubtedly a different attempt but the second
half lets the film down.