Film: Vidiyum Munn
Starring: Vinod Kishan,Pooja,Lakshmi Ramakrishnan
Director: Balaji K. Kumar
Producer: Javed Khayum
Banner: Khayum Studios
Music: Girish Gopalakrishnan
Story:
Vidyum Munn is about Rekha [Pooja Uma
Shankar], a hooker who flees town with 12-year-old Nandini [Malavika]
after committing the biggest mistake of her life, as her pimp
[Amarendran] is given the ultimatum to produce her along with the girl
in the next 24 hours to avert a threat to his own life.
Performance:
Pooja Umashankar in her comeback role is good but she easily gets superseded by child artist Malavika, who acts effortlessly as the runaway kid.
John Vijay gets a
little irksome at regular intervals especially with his style of
dialogue delivery but he also provides the occasional laughs with his
witty one-liners.
Vinoth Kishan plays a powerful baddie with very few dialogues.
Technical Analysis:
Having worked in Hollywood for over a
decade, Balaji, who had earlier directed English thriller "Nine Lives of
Mara", gives the film a treatment that's akin to the west in terms of
the overall presentation.
Slow narration may be one of the
concerns of the film, as it runs a little over two hours. The film
could've been shorter, considering its genre and the not-so-popular star
cast.
Thanks to the hypnotic soundtrack of
Girishh, the music keeps you hooked for the most part. His music not
only heightens the suspense in the story but also serves in building the
mood of the film.
Analysis:
Vidyum Munn is not usual thriller flick
that you watch and forget as you walk out of the movie hall, rather it
lingers on in your head for a long time. Cut from the same cloth used to
produce thrillers such as "Pizza" and "Yuddham Sei", it's the suspense
that guides the film to the finish line. That suspense, with the help of
a few characters, is strongly weaved into a labyrinthine story that you
will only appreciate when it reaches its climax.
Although inspired from British thriller
"London to Brighton", Balaji smartly focuses only on the plot instead of
wasting time on explaining circumstances that led Rekha to become a
prostitute. This proves he knows how to use his craft effectively. He
also avoids too many characters and throws the spotlight on only those
that are linked to Rekha and Nandini.
Vidiyum Munn is not a frame-to-frame
copy of original, but those who have watched the British thriller can
find few similarities in the remake. Nevertheless, it's a bold film that
doesn't hesitate to tread a path very few filmmakers even aspire to
walk on.
Vidiyum Munn is a step closer to
alternate Tamil cinema which majorly caters to those with some intellect
and not to entertainment seekers.
Final Verdict: Perfectly executed suspense thriller.