Aneethi Review - Harmless One Time Watch!

Ashwin Ram

Aneethi is a Vasanthabalan directorial, starring Arjun Das and Dushara Vijayan in the lead roles. The music is scored by GV Prakash Kumar.

Premise: Arjun Das is a food delivery guy, he has a psychic problem of wanting to kill everybody. Dushara Vijayan is a housemaid in a bungalow. They both fall in love with each other. Arjun Das notices Dushara being badly treated by her boss lady and gets triggered.

Writing/ Direction:  The ownership politics which we have seen in the earlier Vasanthabalan films is present here too, good to see it is updated to a food delivery people and the customers, also with the company owner, it fits the current generation. But the particular angle is exaggerated so much, certain characters behave in a needlessly eccentric manner, not just the hero whose mental health is screwed, even his therapist and the customers who order food online behave in such a monotonous way. The storyline is original and interesting, which is benefited by an engaging first half. The establishments are decently made and the love portions between the leads make the happenings believable. The second half is a mix of cinematic elements along with some realistic moments here and there. There are times the film gets overly ambitious for no reason, presenting the same story idea in the right meter with highs and lows would have made it a much better outing. Also the latter is dragged so much, the flashback is justifying but the present timeline portions are boring until a point. Thanks to the striking climax and a convincing backstory for saving the last hour.

Performances: Arjun Das is tailor-made for the role he has played, it’s a tough one to do but he has carried it effortlessly throughout, his powerful base voice adds value to the character. Dushara Vijayan can make any role convincing, yet again she gets an important role that drives the story forward and she does a fine job. The oldie and Arjun Chidambaram shine among the supporting cast. There are plenty of others, but neither their roles nor their performances are impressive enough.

Technicalities: Good music from GV Prakash, the genuine effort to produce good songs is visible and he has succeeded in his intention. Apt background score too, some serious work from the proven talent for a low-key film after a long time. Cameraman has provided what is required for the movie, nowhere blamable. Editing could have been crisp, especially in the second half, some of the wannabe commercial cringe stuff could have been easily chucked. Solid work by the stunt team, the punch and the power is very much there, but a little too violent for UA certified film and this level of blood-shed wasn’t really needed.

Bottomline

A better film from Vasanthabalan since Angadi Theru. The story setup is relatable with a neat first half, even the backstory is decently placed, but the payoffs are very weak. Spoilsport when it tries to be commercial.

Aneethi - Harmless One-Time Watch!

Rating - 2.75/5