Naan is a Neat Thriller - Movie Review

by Bharath Vijayakumar

Not much was known about Naan before its release, except that it had music director Vijay Antony playing the protagonist. Debutant director Jeeva Shankar needs to be lauded first as Naan is a fine thriller that doesn't follow any of Tamil cinema's stereotypes. Its leading man is not the epitome of purity. It does not have a comedy track. And most importantly it shows that Tamil movies can be made without the concept of love (in fact there is no pair for Vijay Antony!). Just ten minutes into the movie you perceive this is not run of the mill stuff and the debutant director keeps this perception up and running until the end credits roll.

Plot

Being a thriller not much can be said about the plot. In a nutshell it is about a youngster who makes use of an opportunity and fakes his identity to achieve certain needs. In order to cover this up he commits some mistakes. Is he framed at the end or does he manage to scrape through is what Naan is all about.

Cast and Crew

Vijay Antony (he has also produced the film) makes a decent debut as an actor. He needs to be appreciated for taking up a role suitable for him.He is not very expressive in the film. That said, this actually works in favour of the film as it manages to elevate the suspense around his actions. His musical score for the film is also good. There are only a few songs and they too are a part of the main narrative. His inclination towards fancy words continues. This time it is Makayala !!!

Siddharth (who played the lead in Aanandha Thandavam) has a substantial role and he does well. Rupa Manjari (last seen in Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru) and the entire support cast of mostly lesser known faces are convincing. Anuya's role is almost like a cameo - an important one though. A regular commercial fare would have included a song for her. It is the absence of these formalities that make Naan stand out from the crowd. Like his mentor, Jeeva Shankar has taken up cinematography as well. The film has a slick look to it and seems to have good production values.

Bottomline

Movies like Naan need to be encouraged. It is a very good effort from a first timer who shows a lot of promise. You do have some logical loopholes and unanswered questions. But most thrillers have them. The director has done a tight ropewalk. There are places in the second half where he looks like slipping. But he manages to reach the finish line unscathed.

Verdict: Definitely a decent one time watch for those who yearn for different cinema.