Pattas - Lively Dhanush shines in this festival entertainer!

Bharath Vijayakumar

If you have seen the trailer of Pattas you would pretty much know everything about the film. When you write or read film reviews you are always careful about spoilers but Pattas is an exception. You know almost exactly how the film is going to pan out. Predicability seems to be a given in star driven entertainers these days and how much fun we have is what defines the success of these films. How does Pattas fare on that count?

The first half of Pattas has three tracks that meet at the interval point. One has Sneha who is just out of jail and keen on revenge, the second one has the villain organizing a kickboxing tournament and the third one is Dhanush and his sidekick having fun. The dots can be easily connected and the biggest issue for me was not the predictability but how easily things fall into place with no real tension. The coincidences galore. Sneha spots the villain and her son immediately after she is out from jail. The reunion of the mother and son happens in a flash and no one hardly breaks a sweat.

The good thing about Pattas is that it keeps moving at a brisk pace. The earlier portions with Dhanush and KPY Sathish are the most entertaining with both actors sharing a good rapport. The lip sync of Mehreen Pirzada ensures that none of her scenes make any impact whatsoever but thankfully they are minimal. This is a cakewalk for Dhanush and the actor is the reason that we remain invested in the film. He keeps it simple and even in the heroic flashback portions he is quite subtle. The absence of melodrama in these portions is a pleasant surprise. ( Sneha is very good as well). Durai Senthilkumar seems to be aware that his tale is quite predictable and he cleverly keeps the scenes short. While this ensures that the film remains watchable without really boring us, it also results in us not being drawn emotionally to what is happening on screen. It is the same scenario with the stunts as well. They are simple, neat and non fussy. This would work in a breezy entertainer but in a film about martial arts and with the hero avenging the death of his father you really needed more punch. A stronger performance from the villain would have helped too.

Vivek Mervin makes a mark with his songs and it is fun to see Dhanush having a blast with his dance.

Bottomline:

Rating: 2.75/5