Review Overview
Screenplay
Performances
Cinematography & BGM
Passable Popcorn Tale!
Anjaan is a passable action thriller, if not a thrilling gangster tale. Suriya oozes swagger as Raju Bhai and Samantha oozes tons of glamour as Jeeva.
Cast: Suriya, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Vidyut Jamwal, Soori, Brahmanandam, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Bajpai, Dalip Tahil, Murali Sharma, Sathyan, Asif Basra, Joe Malloori, Chetan Hansraj, Uma Riyaz Khan, Jangiri Madhumitha
Special Appearances: Chitrangada Singh, Maryam Zakaria
Cinematography: Santosh Sivan
Music : Yuvan Shankar Raja
Editing: Anthony
Stunts: Silva
Art Director: Rajeevan
PRO: Johnson
Dialogues: Brinda Sarathy
Written & Directed by: N.Lingusamy
Production: Thirrupathi Brothers & UTV Motion Pictures
Release Date: 15-08-2014
Run Time: 02:50:00
After huge expectations and extraordinary pre-release buzz, Anjaan finally released today with a bang opening. Suriya oozes swagger as Raju Bhai and Samantha oozes tons of glamour as Jeeva – especially in songs; specifically Kan Jaadai song.
In its entirety, Anjaan has not quite lived up to its potential, but it’s passable while it lasts. A don story set in the backdrop of Mumbai is nothing new to Tamil cinema and a done-to-death premise. Lingusamy has attempted to present a new dimension of the city with a thrilling revenge tale, but stammers in his execution. The film demanded a better screenplay to provide support to the powerhouse performance of Suriya.
Krishna (Suriya) comes to Mumbai in search of his brother (Raju Bhai). He confronts Raju’s gangster friends and enquires about him. Then, we are shown the flashback of Raju Bhai through the eyes of his friends. Dalip Tahil, Asif Basra, Joe Malloori – everyone clocks their time back and narrates a chunk of Raju Bhai’s life to Krishna. What happened to Raju Bhai? Will Krishna succeed in his hunt for his brother? – The movie starts off by searching answers for these questions. Then, it gradually shifts gears and takes a different shape before interval. It becomes a revenge tale with Lingusamy smashing a boulder on your head with the pre(dictable)-interval revelation. The pre-interval fight is one of the superbly shot stunt scenes in recent times. Stuntman Silva’s expertly staged shots are brilliantly enhanced by Santosh Sivan’s well devised cuts.
The screenplay takes a middling turn towards the second half, but thanks to Samantha’s luscious screen presence and Suriya’s commanding performance, it doesn’t make you scowl. Lingusamy could have opted for better Tamil-speaking protagonists instead of a laboured Bollywood ensemble. The dubbing, in most parts, looks blatanly undercooked. Vidyut Jamwal as Suriya’s partner-in-crime has contributed well. Manoj Bajpai, one of the prolific performers in Indian cinema, has delivered a good performance in his limited scope of work, but grossly underused.
Yuvan Shankar Raja has done a terrific job with his background score, especially during the pre-interval fight scene and during the first meeting of Suriya and Samantha. Santosh Sivan’s frames look exquisite in love scenes, searing in stunt scenes and uber-colorful in songs. His love for reflection of sun’s rays is evidently visible in most scenes. The film at nearly three hours, looks a tad too long for its genre and the placement of songs, especially in the second half bumbles the momentum.
Suriya’s fans have tons of scenes to enjoy and scream, and Samantha’s fans have gazillions of rapturous moments to cherish.