A gritty edge of the seat masterpiece from Vetrimaaran. The film talks about the life of Anbu (Dhanush), his ambition to be a carrom champion and how he gets embroiled into a life of violence, greed and betrayal. It is not a never seen before film. Infact you can see this film having traces of Pudhupettai or Polladhavan or even Aadukalam. However, it is the brilliant treatment of director Vetrimaaran that makes the film stand out. The film has too many characters; RadhaRavi, Kishore, Samuthirakani, Ameer, Daniel Balaji, Andrea and Aishwarya Rajesh; yet there is no confusion about their characterization. The film has too many back and forth storytelling, yet there is no confusion in following the story. All credit goes to the director. After a big gap, Dhanush has done a role that suits him well. The bold act of Aishwarya and the strong characterization of Andrea get diluted by their inability to emote in few important scenes. Wonder what happened to these talented actresses? Santosh Narayan’s music is mind blowing and adds to the mood. There are a lot of swear words and blood. This film is the first part of a trilogy and I just can’t wait for the next part. A must watch.
