This was one film I was following during the making itself and was waiting for a long time, because I have to admit I really liked Ayan and Kana Kandein. K.V. Anand, (the ace cinematographer turned director) has the guts to really get to the bottom of any theme around which he winds his projects. Ko is no exception, he has dared to bare some of the well kept secrets of politics and media ( he was a media photographer erstwhile). So it was home ground and he looks like has really sent the balls to box office boundaries. I wasn't able to get tickets till today !
Okay, first things first - the story is NOT a rip from The State of Play. This is much localized political and media drama. The narration bears much similarities to Ayan. I hope the much deserving Jeeva gets into the big league for his portrayal of Ashwin. Ajmal has yet again proved that second roles are nothing second. Pia needs much meaty characters than just 'meat'. Karthika seriously needs to learn Tamil, I can imagine how tough it must've been for Chinmayi to do the dubbing. Kota and Prakash raj are at their usual best. Camera is good (duh !) Harris has to improve a lot both in songs and RR. Songs are shot in Norway and around the world but the chemistry between the leading pair is missing !
Now, the issue with a racy screenplay or fast paced editing or both is not the potholes it leaves on the way, but the absence of beats and pauses. You feel the momentum of an action sequence only when there is a rather slow dull moment before that. If you keep running right from frame 1 you get tired midway. There is a great main story line which has beautifully woven suspense and knots to untie, but the supporting cast (the editor in chief, Jeeva's parents, friends of Ajmal) do not make an impact. These characters are not etched completely and they utter boring "supporting" dialogues. This in turn makes the main characters look either too noble and unbelievable. So at some point of time in the first half you just start watching the film feel no connection, the way we watch election news !
Kudos to K.V. Anand for saying out loud that media can make or break personalities.
