Yaan Movie Review
Cast: Jiiva, Thulasi Nair, Nasser, Prakash Raj, Thambi Ramaiah, Premgi Amaren, Arjunan, Dhanush
Direction: Ravi K. Chandran
Production: Elred Kumar, Jayaraman
Music: Harris Jayaraj
After being in the making for close to two years, cinematographer’s debut in wielding the megaphone has come forth for entertainment and appreciation. ‘Yaan’ fares in among the most anticipated films of the year. Not only have we been awaiting its release, Jiiva and Thulasi have also looked forward to this – Jiiva to make his comeback as the only hero, since ‘Mugamoodi’ failed to impress the masses, and Thulasi, for her second project with all the big names. Ravi K Chandran has also been gearing up for his take on action thriller, and here is the holiday entertainer ‘Yaan’.
Plot:
Right in the middle of all the anticipation, the story has a gripping opening, with an impressive introduction to hero and heroine right in the middle of a thrilling shoot out. Chandru meets Srila and is blown away by her beauty. Though she desists him in the beginning, she eventually falls for him and the two are a perfect made-for-each-other couple. Circumstances force Chandru to leave to Balikistan for work. But he gets caught for the crime of having carried drugs, which he doesn’t commit and is not even aware of. He gets sentenced to the ultimate punishment of being beheaded. What he does to prove his innocence and whether he manages to return home at all is ‘Yaan’ in a gist.
Performance:
Jiiva plays Chandru, the carefree boy stunned by Srila, played by Thulasi. Jiiva has given his best in this movie too as he does in all his projects. He is spontaneous on screen and appeals in his action avatar. He proves to be the perfect choice for the role, as he comes around as the chocolate boy in first half, while he completely transforms into a macho action hero in the latter part of the movie. Thulasi has carried off beautiful ensemble on herself that defines and accentuates her beauty and the confidence required for the role. Nasser plays Thulasi’s father, a retired army man, who still carries his strictness from the borders and also memories with a broken limb. In the limited movements of his, in the movie, he has ensured to act in accordance with his makeover, consuming himself into the role itself. Jayaprakash also plays a pivotal role in the film, as Nasser’s family friend and a cop. Though for brief moments alone, Thambi Ramaiah and Karunakaran have delivered performances that stand out.
Picture:
The foremost aspect that would strike us is the sheer sight of the movie. Manush Nandan’s impeccable camera deserves standing ovation. The first action sequence is one that would last in our memories forever. The hero and heroine could not have had a grandiose introduction better than this. In every frame, Manush has brought out the beauty in everything and everyone, making the movie an experience that will glue you to your seats, just for the camera and angles. Harris’ music is another major plus in the movie. Along with the impressive camera, his music syncs beautifully; it is an inevitable truth that the interaction between music director and cinematographer has been very healthy. Screenplay, however, could have been sharpened a little more to complete the edgy feeling. Romantic and lighthearted moments seem to last too long in a movie that should predominantly cover action. Also, most part of the movie, until near climax, is fairly predictable. And as for action, the film is packed with nail biting fights, especially post interval. In all, it is a well coordinated team by Ravi K Chandran.
Plus:
Camera and visuals, performance and music – these three aspects are in astounding perfection in the movie. Art direction is also equally in justice of the technical crew. Srikar Prasad’s editing stands out in all the chase sequences, which are dime a dozen in the thriller.
Unanswered question:
Though emotions in the movie have been handled logically, there seems to be involvement of imagination much more than it should have been, to remain rationale. Be it the fight sequence that might turn out to have far little consequences in the picture or the comic sequence of running-around-the-girl, they seem to run for a tad more than what would be the suggested appreciable limits. Scenes that imply the happiness of lost-and-found are backed by music that resembles ones from two decades ago. Though every little visual detail has majorly been given importance to, the movie somehow seems to have rushed to an end, just because it has to, scraping down rational imagination at every level. While all these can be discarded on the grounds of fiction, the question prevails as why the movie lacks finish in these places.
All said, ‘Yaan’ is a clean entertainer, healthy for family audience, but for just a couple of hard action scenes. It is certainly worth the watch, provided you do not expect too many fights or too much mushy love from it, and aren’t very conscious about the three hours it will consume.
