Payanam Movie Review

PAYANAM MOVIE REVIEW

Film: Payanam

Producer: Silent Movies

Director: Radha Mohan

Cast: Prakash Raj, Nagarjuna, Sanaa Khan, Rishiraj, M.S. Bhasker, Manobala, Badava Gopi and others.

Music: Pravin Mani;

Art: K. Kathir;

STORYLINE:

Radha Mohan has tried to venture into a much restricted field this time and definitely is not his usual self trying to bring together a feel good movie. A sincere effort, that rests solely on the screenplay which is also the movie’s strength.

The anxiety of passengers is the drama center that breathes life into the movie. We all remember those anxious news channels that broadcast the Kandahar plane hijack don’t we?

This one happens in a Chennai-Delhi flight at the Tirupati airport. The hijackers demand the release of terrorist Yusuf Khan and as predicted the government starts its negotiating act through Vishvanath (Prakash Raj) who directs the National Security Guard (NSG) headed by Major Raveendran (Nagarjuna).

After long wait the terrorist gets killed in an accident. NSG is set in action to launch a rescue operation. There you have it the rest of the story is about a 50+ Nagarjuna trying to act young saving the poor passengers left at his mercy.

CAST REVIEW

Nagarjuna who is still going strong after crossing 50+ oh boy! is back to the Tamil screen and is sure to leave a lasting stamp amidst his fans. He has played his role with full grace and remarkably has succeeded and left everyone wired in anxious thoughts intently, thanks to his expressive outpour brought out through immaculate facial expressions. He plays the role of a commando and has stayed away from his usual heroic deeds.

Prakashraj is always busy handling negotiations and well we could say he has been a bit predictable but carried out the role with much ease. He plays the Home Secretary what a suitable role choice; you bet he looks his best portraying an administrator.

Sana Khan, Rishi, M.S. Bhaskar, Kumaresan, Brahmanandam, Chams, and Bablu, have done their job well. The varied character sketches surely add color to the narrative.

PLUS POINTS

The negotiations and drama on board and furthermore the role of media as hungry as ever for TRP rates have been depicted well.

The plane and airport courtesy art director Kathir is an integral part of the movie and is designed really well. His reconstructing a hijack scene and making a plastic detonator that can blast an entire airplane with just 250 grams is an integral part of the plot. For the worst the terrorists possess 1 Kilogram of detonation devices. A point used cleverly to exaggerate the situation factually.

Making of a dupe of Yusuf Khan with the help of a commercial director and a conversation that takes place between the film star and a fan inside the plane effectively slips in a comic twist to the whole dramatized scenario.

Well, T.S. Gnanavel, the dialogue writer, has some humorous tricks up his sleeve.

Now, coming to the best part of the movie as you already know there have been no significant musical contributions in the movie all for the sake of really pumping up the drama a notch up, and well the crew has certainly used some common sense here, not aping the normal syntax of movies where a song is an expected element even before the title is decided.

Everything was left on the background score and it was an above average effort.

The story changes path and pace at the interval. If you have survived holding on to your popcorn bucket for the first half then surely you deserve a good treat in the second half .Stop biting your nails for god sake!

Another point to be noticed is the controlled use of emotions that makes the audience float along with the progressions without much disruption.

MINUS POINTS

The use of tension has been used extensively although we really witnessed a poor show by the terrorists, no wonder that the emotions of the hijacked passengers were not as horrifying as expected.

The narration could have been more gripping. Nagarjuna has excelled solely but taking into his operative abilities well it all seemed a bit fabricated and more of an instinctive outburst.

We never wanted the unnecessary elements that touched sensitive religious and regional barriers a Pakistani child getting treatment in Chennai, and a Muslim’s commando. There could have been a better steal from the newspapers.

VERDICT:

All we could say is it is not meant for two categories as on a close analysis,

1) The commercial masala tinged entertainment cravers

2) As for all the guys hoping for a great date ahead in the cinema hall around this Valentine’s Day, expecting a dramatic time with your friend in the spooky hall.