Film: Paayum Puli
Starring: Vishal, Kajal Aggarwal, Samuthirakani, Soori
Directed by: Suseenthiran
Rating: **1/2
What’s It About:
Paayum Puli doesn’t introduce anything new to Tamil cinema, it is meant to be commercial and the filmmakers have stuck to the boy romances girl, two romantic songs, one item number and 10 fights template.
The story is about a cop getting killed by a local gang and how assistant commissioner Jayaseelan (Vishal) goes undercover to take out the bad guys and rid Madurai of all the negative elements. The bad guys have been extorting money from businessmen and systematically killing those who don’t pay up the money. It’s when Jayaseelan comes to Madurai to begin the undercover operation that he bumps into Soumya (Kajal Aggarwal), a businessman’s daughter, and falls in love with her. But there is a kingpin behind all the local gang members. Who is the main kingpin? How does Jayaseelan take out the gang members and find out who this man is? This forms the rest of the story.
What’s Hot
This film is nothing compared to the previous film in the Vishal-Suseenthiran combination - Pandiyanaadu. Vishal has performed as required for the cop role and excels in the action sequences. However, it is Samuthirakani’s acting that keeps you engrossed in the film. Soori, who plays Vishal’s colleague and friend in the film, delivers some witty one-liners and provides some (majorly required) comic relief.
What’s Not
The script in this film is a big let-down. The first half of the film is really trying on the audience because it focuses heavily on the Vishal-Kajal romance which is extremely insipid and badly written. Kajal appears for some scenes and a few songs and her acting (or lack thereof) doesn’t impress you.
But Suseenthiran redeems himself to a certain extent in the second half when the film actually moves forward and the story unfolds. While it was good to see a twist before the climax, the director seems to have revealed the entire plot in the five minutes before intermission. Right after intermission, we have a Samuthirakani flashback which is lengthy and quite unnecessary at that juncture. The film’s editing could have been better. And yes, some of the songs could be edited out as well!
What To Do:
Watch Paayum Puli only if you are a Vishal / Samuthirakani fan.
