'3' (Tamil)
Director: Aishwarya R Dhanush
Cast: Dhanush, Shruti Haasan, Prabhu, Sunder Ramu, Siva Kartikeyan, Bhanupriya, Rohini
It was a film that had generated a lot of hype for various reasons. For one, it was the maiden directorial venture of Aishwarya, daughter of superstar Rajinikanth. Again, the debutante was directing her husband Dhanush in the latter’s home production. And most of all, there was the ‘Kolaveri’ rage that took the nation by storm.
With so much hype going for it, it was but natural that ‘3’ had raised a lot of expectation among the movie goers. But though the film has its finer moments, it unfortunately fails to live up to all that hype it had generated.
An element of suspense is introduced in the opening scene itself where Janani (Shruti) is grieving for the loss of a loved one. The first half comes as a flashback where Janani relives the moments she had spent with Ram (Dhanush).
There are some cute little moments where Ram falls for and woos Janani, both students of the 12th standard. His joining a tutorial institute just to be near her, their gawky awkward expressions of love, are all narrated in an engaging manner. The director’s take here is perceptive and insightful, the dialogues sparkling with humour. The screen chemistry between the lead pair is sizzling, the duo pulling off the ‘student’ look with flair. Siva Kartikeyan as Dhanush’s buddy (trying hard to look the ‘teen’) pitches in his bit to add to the humour quotient while Sunder Ramu hogs the scenes in the second half trying to solve the crises in Ram’s life.
A breezy first half gives way to a psychological thriller in the second half. The screenplay takes a nosedive from which it never recovers, the pace sluggish. It’s like the director had lost her grip on her narration, as she tries to explore the dark recesses of a disturbed mind. One can find shades of Selvaraghavan’s s films here. But what should have been poignant moments end up as painful ones for the viewer, at times leading to some unintentional humour. It leaves many unanswered questions too. Like, when a serious crises crop up, why was it not conveyed to Ram’s parents who had been supportive of the couple all along. With the screenplay faltering, it takes its toll on the performances too, negating the positive impact of the earlier part. Dhanush replicates whatever he had done in his brother’s films, particularly in the recent Mayakkam Enna. Shruti cries endlessly, and it gets to you after a time. Debutant music director Anirudh (Aishwarya’s cousin, and son of actor Ravi Raghavendra), who had hit the zenith with ‘Kolaveri’, has composed some catchy numbers.
‘3’ would have been an engaging entertainer had the screenplay in the second half been as coherent as in the first half.