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EDITOR'S PICK
`Pattathu
Yaanai` - comedy entertainer toned down by action
Rating: 3
"Pattathu Yaanai" delivers more entertainment as a comedy entertainer
than as an action flick. It could have been a wholesome comedy entertainer
provided Vishal stayed away from his aspiration to don the action hero tag.
Despite its corny second half, which struggles due to the unnecessary need to
induce action, the film still manages to entertain because of one man -
Santhanam, who was far better than ever in his tailor-made role.
A bunch of wedding caterers lead by Santhanam run from trouble and land in
Trichy - only to find more trouble. In Trichy, the problems are bigger than
before and running away is not an option. When Vishal realises it, he uses force
to handle the situation. What follows is an action scene right at the end of
first half. This is followed by the revelation of Vishal's bitter past that has
its share of some melodrama.
The problem with a film featuring the likes of Suriya, Vishal and few more
actors who have been typecast as mass heroes, is that they are forced to do some
things which are completely not required.
For instance, even though Vishal's backstory didn't deserve to reek of action,
yet we see the director's effort to make it one without worrying about the
output. While I agree the second half wasn't bad, but it could've definitely
been better.
Pandian, of course, makes "Pattathu Yaanai" a much better
action-comedy than several other films of recent past in the same genre. He
doesn't fail to entertain us at regular intervals by reminding how well can
Santhanam be used even in the most serious scenes.
Humour is also derived from the villains towards the end and this works in the
film's favour because few more action sequences might have bored the audiences.
Pandian understood the film is a comedy entertainer at heart and even though the
'mass factor' overshadows it, we still see momentary spurts of humour
throughout.
If there's one thing that makes this film a terrible watch, then it definitely
is the romantic angle featuring Vishal and Aishwarya. There is absolutely no
soul in their relationship and needless to say, we're forced to see an actress
making a bad debut.
Aishwarya is stone-faced in most scenes and looks artificial with more makeup.
In all fairness to her, it was a useless role that was sabotaged by her own bad
performance. I was glad that the makers didn't include one final song to
celebrate the triumph of their relationship after Vishal beats up all the
baddies in the climax.
Vishal was good and showed much maturity in his performance while proving he is
good at comedy too.
I haven't enjoyed watching Santhanam before as much as I did in this film. He
was brilliant and proves it's the director who messes up his roles in other
films where he is mostly seen mouthing dialogues that are considered toilet
humour.
"Pattathu Yaanai" is an underestimated film that delivers beyond
expectations, barring the romantic escapades of Vishal and Aishwarya. You should
totally watch it.