'Yugam' (Tamil)
Director: Shri Pavansekhar
Cast: Rahul Madhav, Deepti, Pawan Kumar, Senthil,Jaymani, Ramesh
How a thoughtless act committed in a moment of fury can create havoc in the life of a married couple, forms the crux of 'Yugam'. Apart from wielding the camera, cinematographer Pavansekhar (of 'Sindhanai Sei') debuts as writer-director here.
The film depicts the happenings of a day at an apartment, where a married couple Shiva and Pooja live. Appreciable is the debutant maker’s effort to steer away from the routine plot and offer a different viewing experience to the audience.
The films opens with a hint of suspense at an apartment where a cop comes to investigate a complaint. The body of a woman is discovered, circumstantial evidence pointing to the husband as the main suspect. As the cop demands an explanation, the narration goes into flashback mode. The early part of this movie depicts the young couple's deep love for each other, Shiva (Rahul) catering to wife Pooja’s (Deepti) every wish. Part of the plot is about a carpenter and his team who come to the flat to fix a showcase. It’s a flashback within a flashback, when the group reminisce about their boss’s misadventures on their various job outings.
A crucial episode in the chain of links to the killing, this could have been worked out better. The narration returns to the couple and their sudden change in attitude towards each other. Pooja is in a state of extreme shock, agitation and fear when through a phone call, she inadvertently learns that Shiva was planning to kill her that night. The cat-and-mouse game between the duo, each wary of the other gets repetitive after a while. Shiva’s action and demeanour may seem puzzling initially but is later revealed. Rahul plays Shiva with the right amount of ambiguity.
The ending is an unexpected one. Deepti (of 'Pattaalam') handles her role competently, bringing in an element of fear in her expression.
'Yugam' has an unusual plot, intriguing at times. But a taut screenplay and a more focused narration could have made it an engaging thriller.