Anbirkiniyal - Banks on its strong narrative that sends chills down your spine!

D Meera Chithirappaavai

Anbirkiniyal starring Keerthi Pandian and Arun Pandian in the lead is an official Tamil remake of the Malayalam film Helen. As I haven't watched the Malayalam version, this particular review will refrain from any comparison or references to the original film.

Funded by Arun Pandian’s A&P Groups, Anbirkiniyal is a tale of a young girl who survives a grave trap. Keerthi Pandian in the lead delivers a convincing performance that makes one look at her as a character more than a heroine. Her performance in the second half deserves appreciation as it is crucial and she shoulders it well for a fresher (comparatively). She seems to be aware of how the film could slip away from the audience’s focus if her performance was even a tad extra.

On the other hand, Arun Pandian seems off in his dialogue delivery & performance at places but fortunately doesn’t end up affecting the overall tonality of the film. Praveen Raja as Charles looked oblivious at places and if that was an intentional nuance added to the character, then he seems to have done a good job too.

The concept and the overall narrative becomes the major drive for the entire film. Survival thriller as a genre comes with its fair share of audience engagement and Anbirkiniyal is no exception. The screenplay ruthlessly allows only necessary scenes or details in the narrative and ensures that every detail established holds a justification by the end of the film. The audience is sure to appreciate this ruthlessness!

Efficient work behind the lens by Mahesh manages to improve the visual experience. Musical support becomes crucial to genres like these and Javed Riaz’s work on the BG score uplifts the narration well.

If at the end of a film, you only take back the story and not conceive it in bits by isolating performances or characters or first-half story or second-half story or technicalities, it is an appreciation to the captain of the ship, the director. Director Gokul does the same for Anbirkiniyal where all the elements of the film gracefully come together to tell the story that becomes the only (for good) takeaway.

Rating- 3/5