Review: Anegan is engaging

The narrative technique and interesting screenplay of Tamil film Anegan keep things moving at a brisk pace, says S Saraswathi.

Three years after the debacle of Suriya starrer Maattrraan, cinematographer-turned-filmmaker K V Anand is back with a fantasy romantic thriller titled Anegan.

The film tells the story of two lovers, who, despite numerous lifetimes, are destined to separate.

In every birth they are killed by their enemies and the saga continues to the present day, where we are introduced to Madhumitha (Amyra Dastur) at a psychiatric clinic.

Madhu is part of the video gaming industry and is constantly under stress due to tight deadlines. She is forced to undergo regression therapy. During these sessions with her psychiatrist she narrates her past life. The first time she lays eyes on Aswhin (Dhanush), she is totally stunned. She recognises him as the lover in all her previous lives.

But Ashwin is unconvinced. He has no recollection of Madhu or their earlier life.

However, he notices some strange things happening around them. Plagued by delusions, their friend and colleague Meera (Aishwarya Devan) throws herself out of the window of their high-rise office building. Their boss, Ravikiran (Karthik) appears extremely sympathetic, but Ashwin senses something sinister.

Their past continues to haunt the present, but this time the lovers are determined to survive.

The

fantastical element in the film has allowed the director to experiment with some highly exaggerated stunts.

Full marks to cinematographer Om Prakash for capturing the authenticity of every era and for skillfully maintaining the fantastical quality of the film throughout.

The underlying currents of paranoia and surrealism permeate every scene.

This is also perhaps due to the admirable performance of actress Amyra (of Issaq fame), who makes her debut in Tamil cinema.

She is quite convincing as an irritating half crazy woman who is constantly trying to get her lover to remember their past.

The much-hyped different avatars of Dhanush -- which seems to mostly rely on absurd wigs -- do not make much of an impression.

But performance wise, he comes through for his director.

He has the entire theatre enthusiastically dancing to the rustic beats of Danga Maari Oodhari, which is already a huge rage among the youngsters.

Veteran actor Karthik keeps one entertained with his quirky style.

The narrative technique and interesting screenplay keep things moving at a brisk pace. But on the downside, there are far too many songs and several unanswered questions.

The director has left it to the viewers to decide whether the film is actually about eternal love that transcends death, or a dopamine-induced crazy make-believe world of a stressed out IT professional.

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