Commenting on a movie's second legal reincarnation in the third language in a span of 17 years will never be one's 'crowning glory' (the nearest English translation of Kireedam, Adlabs' maiden venture in Tamil) especially if the original (of the same name in Malayalam) was a classic.
Its remake in Hindi was a flop and the re-remake in Tamil starring starring Ajith, Trisha, Raj Kiran and Vivek Ajay is a pale shadow made at a colossal cost.
Since the whole thing is all about the rise (or should one say fall) of a nobody's existence as a numbskull cop's son in a nameless town into a virtually unknown village's reluctant ragamuffin with some romance, reckless riding-running, rigours, redness, retribution... really, alliteration is the only thing that springs to the mind.
There is always a risk in comparing an original Malayalam with a remake in other languages. 'God's own country' has been on a diet of despondency, alienation and the celebration of a loser as a hero. Measured against it, a crime has been committed.
Here is the First Information Report (FIR) registered under Section 302 IPC (murder) committed by debutant director A L Vijay, aided and abetted by cinematographer Thiru, editor Antony and other members of the cast with a few and rare exceptions enumerated below.
The salient features of the series of this sorry set of sordid episodes are that the protagonist steals a Hindu religious icon for a start, rides a motorbike like a maniac, worms his way into his lady love, fights like there is no tomorrow, loses the respect of his prospective father-in-law, father, friends, and finally ends up as a mug shot in a police station.
It is respectfully submitted that if Ajith has hammed his way, Trisha strutted around dowdily, villain Ajay grunted, grimaced and growled without the required effects, Vivek made a nuisance of himself and music director GV Prakash Kumar assailed the tympanums of the audience with his loud background score, these are perhaps compulsions of dishing out a fare in tune with the expectations of the intended audience.
Raj Kiran and Saranya should be applauded for underplaying their roles as parents of the hero. But Ajith has to be commended for his courage in essaying a loser's role, not done by stars of his stature.
Rediff Rating: