AMARAKALAM MOVIE REVIEW
by Vishy

Director Saran may not be in the same league as director Shankar when it comes to giving slick and wholesome entertainers, but he shows through Amarkkalam that he is not very far behind. Definitely, interesting times are ahead for Tamil cinema.

The story is not anything out of the ordinary and the movie actually starts in a rather cliched fashion. However, Saran quickly manages to grasp your attention with the way he builds the characters, especially that of Ajit and Raguvaran, and infuses spirit into the proceedings with very interesting interactions between the two. Once the story picks up, it just doesn't let up and keeps you hooked on till the finish.

On one side, we have Ajit and Raguvaran, Ajit being a hard-core goonda with no feelings for anyone or anything, and Raguvaran, an old man with a lot of pent-up anger. On the other side, we have Nasser and Shalini, Nasser being a police commissioner and Shalini, his lovely, but courageous and carefree daughter. The conflicts arising between these characters has been presented very well, aided by excellent cinematography, gripping screen-play, really slick editing and great re-recording. Dhamu & Co's comedy is a lot of fun and it melds with the story very well.

There are several problems, of course, but nothing is very serious. Nasser's weak character is somewhat unbelievable, he being a police commisioner. Shalini's love for Ajit comes about rather suddenly and looks quite unrealistic -- the director could have spent some time developing it well. Bharadwaj could have avoided the "urumal" sound whenever Raguvaran appears on the screen. The ending could have been more powerful -- konjam chappunnu mudinjididhu. The events surrounding the climax are good, though.

Performance-wise, Ajit takes all the honours. His is a tough role to play and one could see the tremendous effort that he has put into his acting. His every look, every move, reflecting his character so well .. a big applause to Ajit!! Raguvaran does his part well, but his dialogue-delivery is stale. Shalini's roleis not very demanding, by comparison to Ajit's, but she has done her part well.

The review of Amarkkalam cannot be complete without mentioning the greater than great recital of a poem by Vairamuthu -- the lyrics, the singing, the cinematography, and Ajit's actions, everything is just perfect, and it manages to touch your heart and makes you feel for Ajit's character when it finishes.

All in all, a movie that is worth watching.

My rating: 3 1/2 stars