Unnaipol Oruvan
By Moviebuzz
Kamal Hassan's Chakri-Toleti directed Unnaipol Oruvan is new age Tamil cinema, which we can say proudly, is a must-watch. What elevates the film to a new high is the crisp presentation and outstanding performances from the lead actors, mainly Kamal and Mohanlal, who simply rock.
The film is on par with the original Neeraj Pandey’s A Wednesday, with minor modifications to make it politically correct by including a Hindu mercenary, a gun runner for whom it is just about money.
The dialogues written by Era Murugan are electrifying and justifies the milieu change from the terror-prone Mumbai to much calmer climes of Chennai.
Kamal Hassan and his team have also pointed to the Coimbatore bomb blast and Meenambakkam airport blast to give the film a local flavour. And to add his own secularist view point, one of the Muslim characters justifies his action and says it is all because of Modi and communal politics which led to the Best Bakery case. The film is well intended and is told in an emphatic manner very bravely.
One ordinary day, the Chennai city police commissioner Raghava Maraar (Mohanlal) receives a threatening call on his mobile from a guy (Kamal Hassan), who claims that he has placed five bombs in various parts of the city. The veracity of the caller's claim is confirmed when the cops find a bag with a RDX bomb at the Anna Salai police station.
The anonymous caller wants five hard core terrorists to be freed -- If not, he threatens blasts at various locations in Chennai where he has concealed the bombs. The chief secretary (Lakshmi) on the orders of Chief Minister has given a Maraar a free hand.
Maraar and his crack team of officers, led by a daring brooding cop Arif Khan (Ganesh Venkatram), gets ready to hand over the terrorists to the anonymous caller at an airfield. The story cannot be told further as it would be a giveaway of the stunning and well written climax, which had the entire audiences in the theatre giving a standing ovation at the end. It is a very brave and pathbreaking film, with a running time of only 110 minutes.
The film works because of its ensemble cast and the outstanding performances of Mohanlal and Kamal Hassan. Unlike in the Hindi version where Naseeruddin Shah had an edge over Anupam Kher, here the best dialogues in the film and almost equal screen time is given to Mohanlal.
Kamal's emotional outburst at the end, is heart rending and perhaps one of the finest piece of acting seen in Tamil cinema. Kamal and Mohanlal coming together is worth your ticket money. Ganesh Venkatram has a tailor-made role, and this film is going to be his big ticket to stardom.
Technically the film is picture perfect, with great background score by Sruthi Hassan, that builds the mood.
Chakri Toleti as a director cannot make a better debut as director in a film that will bring about a change in Tamil commercial cinema. Go for it and encourage good meaningful cinema.
UNNAIPOL ORUVAN MOVIE REVIEW
Review by : Behindwoods review board
Starring: Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, Anuja Iyer, Nasser, Lakshmi.
Direction: Chakri Toleti
Music: Shruti Haasan
Production: Rajkamal International, UTV Motion Pictures
After keeping the movie buffs in suspense over its release due to its legal wrangles, Unnaipol Oruvan, the Tamil remake of ‘A Wednesday,’ produced by Raaj Kamal Films International has finally made it much to the relief of everyone associated with it. The job of director Chakri Toleti is easy and difficult – easy as a readymade story was in front of him and hard as he has to make the content relatable to Tamil audience. By and large, the film has remained loyal to the original script.
What could happen when a common man is pushed beyond his realms of patience and what are its consequences? Unnaipol Oruvan throws light on these issues and the triumph of humanity and its effect on national integration. Indirectly, the film says terrorism can only be held in check by terrorism.
UPO is about certain events that happen in one busy day in a Police Commissioner’s life. He receives an anonymous phone call asking for a release of four terrorists in police custody. Although the commissioner takes the call lightly, he realizes the seriousness of the issue soon and a group is formed to tackle the demands of this call. The gripping events that unfold subsequently are recounted in a riveting manner.
Unnaipol Oruvan
Mohanlal brings forth the responsible Police Commissioner and the unruffled manner in which he deals with a tense situation justifies his recent military award for acting. Kamal, as the angered citizen, has portrayed his emotions and feelings in the right measure. In the last few scenes, when he picks the vegetables from the ground in a composed manner suggests that he is after all an ordinary citizen. His pain and twinge are highly palpable when he is keen to finish off the terrorists. The sequences where Kamal has used his personal experience are enjoyable as regards to non-receipt of voters ID card.
All the characters have been understood and essayed perfectly by the artistes. Anuja Iyer, as the TV reporter, has risen up to the occasion and so does Ganesh Venkatram. Camera and music are in sync with the mood of the film and enhance the tension when required. Although UPO has its flaws, they are negligible when compared to the film in totality.
All in all, a brilliant work which will be appreciated by every socially responsible citizen of India
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