Ayan Movie Review

K.V Anand pushes the commercial cinematic envelope and brings a savvy freshness in treatment and packaging hitherto unexplored in Ayan. It’s breezy, racy, fun ride that keeps you glued to your seats for 2 hours and 38 minutes.

The story may be old as the hills but the narration and the way it unfolds is perfect. The first half is fast and furious, and makes you want more but post interval the proceedings slow down a bit, due to introduction of essential commercial elements like sentiments and an item number.

Deva (Surya) is a post graduate living in North Madras area with his mother (Renuka) who runs a grocery shop. She wants him to get a government job and does not want him to be like his father who was a petty smuggler. However Deva becomes the henchman of Das (Prabhu), the number one smuggler who operates a ‘kuruvi’ (carrier of smuggled goods) service for jewelers like Nemichand and also does video piracy.

In the pre-dominantly Marwadi area, he has a bitter enemy in Kamlesh (Akashdeep Saigal), who can’t digest the success of Deva- Das combination who smuggles diamonds from Congo. Kamlesh is power hungry and will do anything to be one-up on his arch-rival. Soon Deva falls in love with Yamuna (Tamannaah), his friend Chitti’s (Jagan, Vijay TV ‘Njandu’ fame) sister.

Meanwhile Kamlesh due to his greed to get rich and powerful starts dealing in narcotics, which is against the principles and ethics of Deva-Das combo. All this leads to a bloody confrontation between the two as they go for each other’s throat.

The circumstance leading to Surya meeting Tamannaah for the first time due to the antics of Jagan is a scream. Watch the action and chew on your popcorn as the adrenaline goes pumping. Here Surya is robbed of his diamonds under the orders of the villain Akashdeep Saigal by six tough African guys on the streets of Congo and the subsequent quick running on the streets and roofs and fighting is superb. Franz Spilhaus the action coordinator deserves a pat on his back for the spellbinding three minutes Parkour style chase that you may have seen in a Jackie Chan or James Bond flick.

Harris Jayaraj’s music is peppy and the background score is awesome. The first introduction song Pala Pala… is good, picturised with Surya in all the get-up’s he has done in various films. The Namibia song Nenje Nenje.. is melodious and is sheer visual delight shot extremely well in fantastic desert bordering the sea location in Namibia.

M.S Prabhu’s camera is eye catching whether it is the sepia colour tone in the fight scene or the top angle in the songs, it’s his best work. Rajeevan’s set design to the minutest detail gives you the feel that it is real. Antony’s editing for a change is not in your face and has gone for traditional cut to cut, which goes with the theme.

The casting is perfect. Prabhu as Das the good hearted smuggler is constrained and dignified. Ponvannan as a customs officer is aptly cast, Renuka as Surya’s mother is life like, Karnas is subdued, while Jagan steals the show. However Koena Mitra’s looks wooden, the song sticks out like a sore thumb.

Tamannaah looks beautiful and has arrived as the new eye candy of Tamil cinema and is improving with each film. She has emerged as a firecracker performer, instinctive and uninhibited as Yamuna. Akashdeep Saigal the new villain with his flowing long hair and stylish performance, with Ajay Kapoor (Aadi of Kolangal serial) dubbing for him is refreshing.

Surya belts out a convincing performance as the quintessential action hero and carries the film to the winning post. He looks great and you cannot take your eyes off him. Relying on his eyes and his expressions especially in those romantic scenes with Tamannaah, he shines.

Verdict: The film works due to Anand’s fresh and innovative handling of a wafer thin story. The Surya- Tamannaah fluffy romance is funny and enjoyable. The chemistry between them is terrific thanks to the simple bits of screenplay writing of the director and his dialogue writer Shubha. Move over Vivek & Vadivel, Jagan and Surya is enough to bring the house down with their one liners and neat comedy track, which is the major plus point in the film.

Rating: 4 Stars on 5