Film - Oru Oorule Rendu Raja
Director- R Kannan
Cast- Vemal, Priya Anand, Soory, Nasser, Thambi Ramaiah, Anupama
Out of his four Tamil releases, two are remakes of successful Hindi films —Kanden Kadhalai (Jab We Met) and Settai (Delhi Belly). Now, his new venture Oru Oorla Rendu Raja, though scripted by him, gives a sense of déjâ vu throughout. Situations and happenings and the graph of the travel tale are more like Jab We Met meeting Chennai Express. The director has tried to give a serious feel to the plot by including a relevant environmental issue in the backdrop
The plot involves a train journey and a car trip. The train trip with some rowdies in pursuit of the heroine, and the hero’s effort to protect her, reminds one of Chennai Express. Two wastrels — Vemal and Soory — travelling in a train, encounter Priya, a service- minded doctor who is on the run.
A couple of misunderstandings later, the duo strikes a friendship with her. There is the back story for the trio. Soory gets equal footage if not more, and is one of the Rajas. He makes the most of his role, though at times his non-stop comic antics and chatter are a tad alarming. Vemal is low-key and almost subdued in the company of his more boisterous buddy. While the flashback to the duo’s past is nothing much to talk about (except a nipped-in-the-bud love affair for Soory), Priya has a more meaty tale to tell. The narration delves into more serious issues like sound pollution and dangerous chemicals used in factories by unscrupulous owners. But it’s all dealt with in a superficial lackadaisical manner and the factory owners are mere stereotypes. Priya puts in an effort as the crusader for a cause. But the character fleshed out weakly fails to have any impact.
Halfway through, the train trip is abandoned for a road trip. The trio chased by the rowdies takes a lift from Ramaiah in a car. The brief encounter on the highway between a cop and the henchman of the factory owner is one of the better moments of the film. The climax leaves a lot to be desired. The director has tried to blend in various ingredients like action, chase, romance and sentiment with a serious environmental issue.
The film maintains a light tone throughout, even when the situation demands a more serious approach. With a weak villain and a pair of unlikely heroes, Oru Oorule... lacks the punch and fritz to make it a riveting road journey for a cause.