Aayirathil Oruvan - Review

After reading scores of bad reviews, it was with a trepid heart and resigned mind that I walked in to view this movie.

The plot is known to most now - A team of archaeologists and paramilitary troops head off in search of lost Chozha tribe & treasures, somewhere in Vietnam. They reach their goal by the end of the 1st half, but what lies in store for them forms the crux of the film.

Right from the initial scenes showing the fleeing of the Chozhas, the movie had me hooked up. While it is true that many scenes reminded me of a lot of Hollywood movies, the first half, inspite of its generic 'Romancing the stone/Indiana Jones' tone, had the director's brilliance stamped all over it, the key point being that we were looking at something so alien to our daily lives through Sukumaran's eyes. His rib-tickling comments are exactly something we would hear in the theatres while viewing Hollywood movies in those days where Hollywood releases were not dubbed and only a select few were screened every year.

Just when you settle back in your seat, expecting a "Cross these hurdles, Reach the Goal, Live Happily Ever After" pattern that is steadily laying out before your eyes, we get a rude jolt when the main characters become possessed and start behaving crazily. That IS a true sign of things to come.

I dont want to reveal too much of the 2nd half, but it is truly impressive - in its visualization, in its grandeur, in its raw energy. While flaws abound, the overall brilliance of it all takes over, making you gape in awe, while also making you think about core values and ideals of our current times as well as those of the ancient times spoken of so glowingly in our history books.
I have read opinions that the end suggests the coming of a sequel. I hope not. To me, the ending suggests a poetical, cyclical conclusion that will only be marred by the creation of a sequel.

Finally, after seeing the movie and pondering over its reviews in the web, I truly wonder about the abundance of sub-standard movie reviews in the blogosphere. The dismissal of anything that's not racy or that's not overtly spoon-fed is worrisome.

Go see this movie with an open mind. Think about the second half. Are our virtues and ideals luxuries that civilizations can only afford amidst peace, wealth and prosperity?

A grand expansive vision executed with no sugar-coating for the meek.