Writer: Ramesh

Writer Ratings:
Overall:
Cast:
Plot:
Effects:
Cinematography:

Watch this if you liked: “A Wednesday!”

Debuting director Chakri Toleti's "Unnaipol Oruvan" is heavily inspired from Hindi film "A Wednesday!" and basically deals with how an otherwise ordinary man is frustrated to the point of bursting out with a solution to fight terrorism in today's chaotic world.

The story starts with ex-Police Commissioner Raghavan Maraar (Mohanlal) recalling an event that took place on his last day of duty. That day he received a call on his mobile from a stranger (Kamal Hassan), who claims that he has placed five bombs in various parts of the city. The caller claims he will set off the bombs unless the government releases four terrorists from jail. With several lives at stake, Maraar had no choice but to agree to the demands and make arrangements to release the terrorists. He was also assisted by his two trusted cops Arif (Ganesh Venkatraman) and Sethuraman (Dr. Bharath Reddy). During the process he often faces official interference coming his way, especially from the Chief Secretary (Lakshmi) who does not see eye to eye with him. Also keeping a close eye on events is TV reporter Natasha (Anuja Iyer). Will Maraar succeed in revealing the true identity of the caller? Or will the terrorists be released as planned by the caller?

In terms of performance, Kamal Hassan and Mohanlal are the pillars of the film's strength and they both flesh out their respective roles memorably and equally well. Besides the main characters, the supporting cast like veteran actor Lakshmi, actors Ganesh Venkatraman and Anuja Iyer all provide worthy turns without overplaying it. Kamal Hassan's daughter Shruti Hassan does the music score and her work is refreshing, although it does not include any full length songs except the opening and end credit title. The good thing about this film is that it does not include the usual commercial elements (comedy and songs) which interrupt narration. It is also short on runtime - just under two hours.

The minor downside is that it is difficult to believe that a common man like Kamal Hassan's character could perform sophisticated tasks like making a bomb (especially when revealed that he learned it off the Internet) and working on telecommunications all by himself. However director Chakri Toleti should be congratulated for bringing out the best from everyone who worked in the film. Overall "Unnaipol Oruvan" is a fresh air for Tamil cinema.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2009