Yennai Arindhaal Movie Review - Ajith Steals the Show

Yennai Arindhaal 

Cast : Ajith Kumar, Arun Vijay, Trisha, Anushka, Vivek.

Direction : Goutham Menon.

Music : Harris Jayaraj.

Cinematography : Dan MacArthur.

Expectation:

Yennai Arindhaal - the 3rd installment in the Cop series from Goutham Vasudev menon has been in news for quite long for more than one reason.The first being his maiden venture with Ajith,his return to the cop-life genre after the blockbusters Kaaka kaaka and Vettaiyaadu vilaiyadu, his much awaited golden reunion with Harris Jayaraj, and the presence of two happening heroines - Trisha and Anushka in the movie.Coming with humongous expectations, and huge pre-release hype, does the Ajith starrer live true to its expectations? Well, almost. Let's see what Yennai Arindhaal is all about.

Plot:

The movie is an episode in the life of an ex-cop Sathyadev, that traverses between his past and the present. Sathyadev gets in touch with Thenmozhi (played by Anushka, who looks way too old in the beginning song), and realizes that she's under trouble from a gang lead by Victor- Sathya's old friend turned foe from an undercover mission. His encounter with Victor takes him back to memories of the past - what lead Sathya and Victor turn enemies, Sathya's family life with the beautiful dancer Hemanika (Trisha) and its brutal end followed by Sathya's decision to quit his duties to be with his dearest daughter. Cut to the present, Sathya playing spoilsport in his plans angers Victor and he decides to make it personal - he targets the love of Sathya's life Eesha. The mystery behind Victor targeting Thenmozhi, and whether Victor was successful in his revenge or Sathya saved Eesha and Thenmozhi in the final showdown is what Yennai Arindhaal is all about.

Performances:

 The movie completely belongs to Ajith and even in the presence of two heroines the audience could not take their attention off from him(Goutham has a lot of words mouthed by Anushka about the handsome Ajith in the beginning!!). Sathyadev's character is designed as an upright cop, who has his values(he respects women - he doesn't mind getting away from his mission to help a pregnant woman, and even regrets killing one towards the end, but when it comes to thugs, he's a mean guy). Ajith perfectly fits into the role of Sathya, and his different looks - the cool, casual ex cop, the disguise of a gangster, and the honest cop  suit him well. He delivers a subtle performance, and its good to see him in a role that requires emotions - the daughter angle and the romance track with Trisha enhance the effect.

The villainous act of Arun Vijay was expected much, but falls flat, as he doesn't look menacing.Except for the entry and few encounters with Sathya, Victor doesn't do anything exceptional as a villain - his role is reduced to a cliched caricature in the second half. Coming to the two leading ladies - Trisha gets to feature in two songs, and emotes a little, while Anushka doesn't even get that scope as all that she does throughout YA is accompanying Ajith and following his instructions.The other artistes like Nasser, Parvathi, Ashish Vidyarthi are literally wasted in the movie, as their presence is eclipsed by Ajith. Vivek tries to evoke a few laughs,but in vain.

Technical departments:

Harris in his return to GVM zone has provided some good numbers- Unakkenna venum sollu and Mazhai vara poguthe are humworthy, while Mayabazaar is a different attempt. The "Yennai arindhaal" title song during the beginning credits and during the cop transformation of Ajith will delight the actor's fans. Harris has given the much needed variation in the pleasant BGM for romantic eprisodes and the pulsating one for the action sequences. Full credits to Dan Macarthur's cinematography for presenting the best of Ajith in the different looks he portrays in the movie - be it the gangster or he cop or the loving dad. The stunts and the songs are captured perfectly as well. Certainly not the best from Goutham menon, but for sure , this is his fine comeback after the duds NEPV and Nadunisi naaaigal. Particularly, as comparisons are bound to arise, with his previous cop-action sagas and the gripping screenplay and terrific sequences he had in them.

Notable Points:

Sathyadev is definitely not a Raghavan/Anbu Chelvan, but leaves a mark solely due to the one-man show and the towering presence of Ajith. For a cop movie, YA lacks a powerful villain and a strong motive - GVM's villains are memorable and are as powerful as the protagonist- be it Kaaka Kaaka's gangster Pandiya and his menacing acts to avenge the death of his brother or the psychopath duo Amudhan-Ilamaran of Vettaiyadu vilaiyadu who were on a women killing spree, the villains were  able to counter the hero and his numerous attempts to bring them down. Their actions spoke more than the words. But here, Arun Vijay is made to speak continuosly, and that he does this all for the racket he runs, and totally ruins his characterization.

Trademark Goutham brand romance (a minor episode here, reminiscent of VV track between Aradhana and Raghavan) and usage of expletives with raw violence is there in YA as well , with some impact. The titles read screenplay assistance by Thyagarajan Kumararaja and Sridhar Raghavan, but we don't get to see any traces of that, as the screenplay is leisurely paced (the song placements could have definitely been better), and Yennai arindhaal completely reminds us of GVM's previous cop characters and the episodes.

What works:
Ajith as Sathyadev the cop,Ajith as Sathya the gangster,Ajith the loving dad and the romantic at heart, Harris Jayaraj's songs and BGM, Sathyadev Vs Victor episodes.

What doesn't :
A strong sense of Deja vu(reminding Goutham's previous ventures), leisurely paced screenplay.

Verdict:

Despite it's shortcomings, the one thing that keeps you glued to the seat throughout the movie, it is Ajith. The actor's powerful presence makes this emotion filled cop drama a winner.

A solid 7/10.