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Formula route, yet again -- Pazhani
Pazhani
Genre: Sentiment
Director: Paerarasu
Cast: Bharat, Khushboo, Aishwarya, Kajal Agarwal
Storyline: A 10-year old is taken into custody for a murder. He returns 15 years later to find his sister.
Bottomline: How much more of the same stuff can you take?
Commercial Panchamritham’ is the tagline that goes with the title. The epithet is perfect — Cinema Paradise’s ‘Pazhani’ (U) is commercial to the core. But whether it’s as palatable as ‘panchamritham’ is debatable. Actually till the mid way point, the film moves quite fast, has a suspense element to hold your interest and comes with some interesting portrayals. But the second half of ‘Pazhani’ is a clear dampener. Illogical action, inexplicable animus and verbal bravado tire you no end. Director Paerarasu makes no bones about being glued to the formula of three duets- four fights routine. And he’s very clear about who his target audiences are.
Pazhani goes to prison for murder at the age of 10. He comes out after 15 years only to realise that things are abominable outside. And when the sufferer is his sibling (sister), he isn’t going to be a silent spectator!
Clichés aplenty
Bharat as Pazhani is the superhuman hero. Straight out of prison after a decade and a half, the young man can drive a car, a bike and anything you name! He can fight and tame the mighty with astuteness. Adept at dance, Bharat fills the bill. Heroine Kajal Agarwal is another of those innumerable imports whose mouthing of Tamil dialogue is pathetic. Kushboo looks dignified mainly because she avoids melodrama. The typical termagant played by Aishwarya is a cliché. Without reason she screams herself hoarse that she wants to kill her erstwhile lover, when the poor man is penniless and vulnerable! Biju Menon is again a stereotypical villain, who isn’t sharp-witted enough. Rajkapoor belongs to the same ilk. You can’t fault the performances of these veterans, though. Pazhani’s dad makes a one-scene appearance and disappears!
It’s a string of slaps and a volley of blows most of the time. Everyone, including the women, the villain and the hero is smacking one or the other in every scene! Ravi Maria’s dialogue is thought-provoking. Only that at times it gets too much.
Srikanth Deva’s stridency in the name of re-recording is a bane. Songs, which seem aped from one or the other source, offer little respite. Bharat is a brilliant dancer, so the sequences are passable. But please, why does the viewer have to watch jigs in such quick succession? Especially when they only hamper happenings? And to add to your woes comes an item number whose dancer is all flab. However, the short melodies such as ‘Thaya Pola Thaan …’ in the background are a welcome change from the din. The ‘Tiruvarur Theru …’ song sequence has appreciable lighting (Vijay Milton) and excellent art work (G.K.)
The blend of sentiment and suspense does arouse expectation, but once you know the background, there’s little to sustain attention. Nearly every song and fight sequence in ‘Pazhani’ is predictable. You are caught in a time warp for the most part. You seem to be watching a colourful version of the sentiment-soaked films of the black and white era, with all the selling propositions of the present intact!
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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