Aal - Gripping!!!

Bharath Vijayakumar

Debutant director Aanand Krishna has gone in for a remake for his debut effort. Aamir was a small film that went on to garner the attention of the critics and audience. Aal too has seen a low profile release without much noise. Will it be able to recreate the attention that the original got?

Plot:

A professor has to return to his hometown for personal reasons. A brutal shock awaits him as he sets foot in Chennai when he is taken for a ride by an anonymous caller who instructs him to carry out certain orders failing which his family will be in trouble.

Cast:

The film rests entirely on Vidharth's shoulders as he is there in almost every frame. He has had a decent outing. The actor playing the terrorist mastermind is menacing and his voice is a major plus. 

Crew:

Cinematography by N.S.Uthaya Kumar makes an impression straight away as it beautifully captures the lush locales of Sikkim. Editing by M.Ramesh Bharathi is good and the film moves at a brisk pace. Johan's background score gives the required fillip to the intense narration.

What works and what does not?

If you can excuse the romantic number very early on, the film hardly wastes a second and the events are tightly packed with a run-time of less than a couple of hours. The intent of the film seems genuine. The helplessness of Vidharth is what is not very convincingly portrayed. The writing and the situations are on the mark. But Vidharth does not really look that vulnerable and more often looks like a macho hero waiting to strike back. Because of this we do not entirely invest our sympathy with him in the initial half. The climax does work emotionally but seems a bit manipulative. How can Vidharth explain the events that occurred to him over the phone within a few seconds. The villain keeps telling he wants to try and convince Vidharth of his ideals and bring him to his side. But there is hardly anything which happens which justifies his motives. He only behaves like a mean commercial villain putting Vidharth in trouble. And because of this the entire idea and the purpose of Vidharth being chosen for the operation somehow does not look entirely convincing.

Bottomline:

An intense and gripping drama that keeps you engaged.The only hitch is that there is not enough justification behind  the manner in which the terrorist mastermind deals with the protagonist.

Rating:2.75/5