|

|
EDITOR'S PICK
`Aegan`: Ajith has a sure winner (IANS)
By Ayyappa Prasad
Rating: **
Tamil film Aegan is supposed
to be a remake of the Hindi blockbuster Main Hoon Naa. But, many
changes have been made to suit Tamil tastes and the image of the matinee idol
Ajith.
Ajith plays a cop who, disguised as a student, is sent to guard a police
informant`s daughter from an underworld don. How he succeeds in his mission is
the long and short of Aegan - translated into English by the star`s
fans as one-man-army.
While Shah Rukh Khan played an army officer in the Hindi original, Ajith plays a
police officer as it obviously suits the present trend in Tamil films.
Shiva (Ajith) a CID (criminal investigation department of the police), is on a
mission to safeguard a college student (Piyaa) whose father (portrayed by Devan)
is a key link to a business tycoon with underworld links (Suman).
In the college, Shiva falls for a beautiful lecturer played by Nayanathara.
The snide remarks by younger characters playing students making fun of an
elderly Ajith as uncle is a bit offbeat because the
movie star`s fans are accustomed to seeing him in more youthful roles.
Ajith pokes fun at himself as well, pointing to the slight bulge in his midriff.
The family drama linking Piyaa with a guy of the same college (played by Navdeep)
forms the emotional anchor to the story that follows the predictable climax in
which the villain is finally laid low.
The India-Pakistan link, shown so successfully in the Hindi original, has been
completely avoided in Aegan. Ajith is agile but no patch on Shah
Rukh Khan.
Choreography by Raju Sundaram and sibling Prabhu Deva is excellent.
While Piyaa and Navdeep are passable, the show-stealers are Nayanathara (thanks
to her curves) and Jayaram (playing the bumbling college principal provoking
quite a few laughs).
Yuvan Shankar Raja strikes the right chords with his music. The cinematography
(credits shared by quite a few) is breathtaking.
Overall Aegan is an adequate remake of a hit. Ajith is certainly on
to a winner since he hardly has any competition during this Diwali.
Actor Ajith Kumar's physical makeover for his next Tamil outing "Vivegam" has stunned everybody, including those who have often criticised him for not being fit. His colleagues describe his transformation as "inspiring" and "age-defying".Read More