Changing the trend of thrillers
It seems the trend of thrillers in Tamil cinema is slowly finding an upheaval. Gone are the days of sub standard thrillers trying to ape Hollywood but falling way short of the marks, now have arrived the times where our thrillers are bring more original and self-written rather than having 'borrowed' material from Hollywood capers as the foundation.
Earlier this year, it was Madhavan's Yaavarum Naalam that set the trend, and impressed so much that even a Hollywood production company came forward to buy the film rights (look at the roles reversing!), and now Arun Vaidyanathan's Achamundu Achamundu follows suit- well made, not cheap, an interesting concept subtly directed.
Provided; the film isn't exactly flawless or top notch, but we could take consolation in the fact that it is a step in the right direction and definitely a movie worth a watch. Several loose ends; such as what exactly happened to other children that Robertson had abducted and later molested is never shown in the end, are one of the loose ends that are never properly tied up. And Arun's decision to give away Robertson's true intentions in the very moment of introducing him makes a film a tad predictable to boot with. Probably the art of perfecting an interesting premise is what Arun should work on in the future; because just having an interesting premise doesn't promise a top notch movie, it has to be perfected to its best potential, and this movie could have really been much better had Arun developed the depth of his script further and furnished several important elements.
But he undeniably has got his casting spot on in this film, with everyone excelling in their parts. Sneha simply appeals herslelf brilliantly as the home maker who tries to hold on to her traditional values in a foreign land, while Prasanna's portrayal and the work-oriented husband makes them look exactly like the regular, typical NRI family in America. For once, the casting of a Hollywood talent in a Tamil film is completely justified, with John Shea (who played Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series of Superman and had also acted in Mutant X) fitting to the T in his role as the child molester under the malice of a painter. He is probably the most high profile Hollywood casting ever done in Tamil films and his wealth of acting experience certainly sees him fit into the film seamlessly instead of looking awkward or out of place.
The dialogues are definitely catchy, especially the interactions within the small family of Prasanna, Sneha, and their daughter, and also the ones in the office show a good commentary of NRI Indians and paints quite an accurate picture of their lifestyles away from home. Prasanna seems to have taken the unconventional path with his films, experimenting in different roles, and this coming at the back of a venomous portrayal as a villain in Mysskin's Anjathey and also as a yearning lover who can never be with his lover due to society's contradictions in Kannum Kannum.
Sneha once again proves that given the right role, she will make the role totally hers no matter what, especially when its a role resembling the homely Indian lady; there simply isn't a better choice that Sneha to do such roles. The NRI talents fit into the film well. Karthick Raja's music is a little detrimental for the film, with the songs being a stumbling block except for the 'Kannil Enna' number which is pleasant to hear, but still sounds very out of place in a movie portraying the lives suburban Indians in America. The songs could have been done without for the film, relying only on BGM.
The film is also the first Red One feature film in India, and though it didn't completely exploit a new technology, few shots here and there certainly shows the precision of this new technology.
Rating: 7/10
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