Naaigal Jaakirathai

[MysteRy]

Naaigal Jaakirathai Movie Review

Director: Shakti Soundar Rajan
Cast: Sibiraj, Idoh the dog, Balaji
Cinematographer: Nizar Shafi

Dog based investigation thrillers are a rarity in Tamil cinema and Sibiraj has chosen such a unique genre for his comeback film.

Naaigal Jaakirathai is basically a story about Karthik(Sibiraj), a cop who is affected by post-traumatic stress and how he is using the military trained dog to find his kidnapped pregnant wife (Arundathi).

Shakti Soundar Rajan’s idea of making an investigation thriller along with the fun elements of a dog is laudable but what lacks in the film is detailing of characters. Naaigal Jaakirathai’s major strength is the dog Idoh and the interesting elements surrounding it, once the main plot gets unleashed we are left only with abrupt narrations.

Though we are shown that Sibiraj is afraid of gun sound, the real reason behind his post traumatic stress is only known at the climax. This is where our film makers fall short in using the emotional drama of the protagonist. Similar kind of situation is there in Insomnia where you can witness the stress factor of the protagonist who accidently kills his colleague.

Another abrupt factor about the film is that the director didn’t register any proper bond between Sibiraj and his wife Arundathi. Had the director incorporated few more sequences between Sibi and his wife Arundhathi, the climax would have been an emotional ride but now it looks like a plain investigation thriller with many unanswered questions. Also, the villain of the film (Balaji) is too dramatic and loud, hence his portions lack seriousness.

The problem with the film is that idea behind every characters are great but what lacks is the detailing and fine writing which is essential for an intelligent investigation thriller. Not only characterizations, even the dialogues are very ordinary that we can’t even remember one sharp dialogue in the film.

Discussing about the performances, Sibiraj looks fresh and energetic but the actor has to really work on his expressions. The director has extracted the best from the dog Idoh and its portions with Sibiraj are quite enjoyable. Apart from Sibiraj and Idoh, no other actors grab our attention.

Technically, the film is super strong with Nizar Shafi’s excellent cinematography and Praveen KL’s crisp editing. The film’s running time is well within 120 minutes and the editor must be lauded for the effort.

Overall, Naaigal Jaakirathai is a film where the idea sounds good but falls short in execution.

[MysteRy]

Naigal Jakkirathai Music Review

Cast:    Sibiraj, Arundathi, Balaji Venugopal, Manobala, Mayilsamy, Venkat Sundhar
Direction:    Shakti Soundar Rajan
Production:    Sathyaraj, Maheswari Sathyaraj
Music:    Dharan Kumar

Dharan’s potential was never in doubt, since he has given some tremendous songs since ‘Paarijatham’ days. But, he did not live to his tag for a long time, and renewed himself earlier this year with ‘Aaha Kalyanam’. Let’s see what he has done in ‘Naaigal Jakkirathai’.

Doggy Style (Hero Namma) –  Gaana Bala

An excellent track to start the album, where Dharan lets his imagination to full use, and even used  (Woof, Woof, Bow Bow) sound of the man’s best friend throughout the song. Gaana Bala is in his usual self and rendered the number in a classic Madras slow ‘Gaana’ style. The chorus, ‘Doggy Doggy Doggy Style’ will be on a loop without your knowledge for some time.

En Nenjil – Naresh Iyer

Naresh Iyer – The man who got the sweetest  vocal in the town is back after a brief time, and takes you into his world within no time. The song goes on to describe the love for the dog from the hero’s perspective, and Madhan Karky has conveyed the love between them in simple words, but they are sure to bring the memories of your lovable pet dog.

Bhoomi Sutrum Varaiye – Haricharan

A functional track which could well be a montage track for the hero to complete a mission. Haricharan tries his best to inject much needed glucose to this lifeless track. Dharan could have done better here by deviating from the tried & tested instruments. The problem here is, we have heard similar stuffs from, Yuvan Shankar Raja from, ‘Saroja’ days, and that spoils sport for, Dharan.

Naaigal Jakkirathai – Theme Music

Dharan scores another winner with this track. Though the Violin beats resembles Mysskin’s earlier movies initially, it goes on to sound unique as it progress. The stop/start strategy in the midway is a supreme ploy from the composer. The track will serve its purpose as a fantastic BGM material in the movie.

Doggy Style (Club Mix) – Gaana Bala The standout song from the album gets a remix here, and the composer has put in little more foot tapping materials to make our foot tap to the electronic beats. Dharan triggers the shutter to the album on a positive note.