Annadurai Movie Review

Production: Fatima Vijay Antony, Radikaa Sarathkumar Cast: Diana Champika, Jewel Mary, Kaali Venkat, Radha Ravi, Vijay Antony Direction: G.Srinivasan Screenplay: G.Srinivasan Story: G.Srinivasan Music: Vijay Antony Background score: Vijay Antony Cinematography: Dhill Antony

Dialogues: G.Srinivasan Editing: Vijay Antony Singers: Ananthu, Karthik, Vijay Antony Lyrics: Arun Bharathi PRO: Suresh Chandra

When you have a film that's titled Annadurai, you are bound to go in expecting a political thriller. That is how popular our Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Annadurai is even today. But the subject that the director has handled is an action drama that revolves around an identical twin.

Vijay Antony plays dual roles, and has acquitted himself well to both. The different range of emotions from being helpless to angry and then turning hopeless, the actor has delivered well. However, the actor definitely needs to work on his on-screen romantic side. We cannot put the entire blame on Vijay Antony’s shoulder as the love scenes by itself lacks fizz.

Apart from producing, acting in two roles, composing music, Vijay Antony also turns editor with Annadurai. The screenplay in the first half is by and large engaging. Some of the scenes are heart-wrenching, some are massy while some are over dramatic.

The second half, however, could have been more enticing. When the story unfolds, the script travels in an unpredictable terrain. The latter half could have been dealt in a different fashion.

A more focused approach might have made a world of difference to Annadurai. Somewhere down the line, one feels, the core purpose of the script isn't established convincingly. The overall packaging of the movie also makes it a little tedious for the viewers.

Annadurai might cater to a set of audience that don’t mind a dramatically made action tale. For them, the climax sure would move some muscle somewhere inside them.

Vijay Antony's scores high on BGM more than the songs that hinder the pace in the first half. His rerecording further intensifies the heaviness in the script. The camera work by Dillraj gives the movie, the rough and gritty look that the director must have envisioned.

Diana Champika has more screen time compared to the other heroines. She gets to be in a few romantic scenes with Vijay Antony, a song and in a couple of emotional scenes too. In a few places, she appears a little over-dramatic. Among the many supporting actors in the movie, Kaali Venkat who plays Vijay Antony’s confidante gets scope to perform and has done his part well. So does the supporting actor who plays heroine's father; he has a couple of solid homerun moments too.