Film: Burma
Director: Dharanidharan
Cast: Michael Thangadurai, Reshmi Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Sampathraj, Madhu Raghuram, Karthick Sabesh.
For his debut directorial film, Dharanidharan ventures into a scenario largely unexplored on Tamil screen. The director takes a peek into the world of private car financiers and the methods employed by their recovery agents to retrieve the vehicles from defaulters. With it’s interlinking story lines, a smartly written screenplay and slick narration, the film keeps one engaged for its crisp 96 minutes of viewing time.
Dharanidharan’s characters are interesting and colourful. Like Guna, the best in seizing cars, but away from the scene for a year; Burma, his protege, who with his street smart ways had usurped Guna’s position as the number one in the business; Burma’s buddy and partner Boomer; Burma’s girlfriend Kalpana collaborating with him in his job; Maran, a cop on the trail of some illegal happenings including a heist; and ‘Seth’ the financier and Burma’s employer, unforgiving and ruthless.
Michael plays Burma with flair, infusing the character with the right amount of grit and audacity. The film should prove to be a career booster for the young actor. Sabesh as Boomer, provides lighter moments. Reshmi’s Kalpana may not have anything substantial to do. But the actress (of Inidhu Inidhu) cuts a pretty picture and at least gets more to do than being just relegated to the song-dance routine. A consummate actor, Kulkarni, within the limited space given to him, makes an impact as the merciless financier. Madhu’s Maran is well-played, but could have got some challenging moments. In his flashy outfits, Sampath, as Guna, fits in suitably. Weaved in is a subplot of a gang of thieves on a high-end mission, a girl in possession of a stolen antique piece from a London museum (a weak link in the plot), and a broker who buys stolen cars. With these interlinking stories and characters, the director takes us through the fast lane of crime, intrigue, cool violence and some twists. There are shades of ‘Gone in 60 seconds’ at times. Revealing are the various methods used by Burma and gang to hoodwink defaulters and steal away the cars. As Burma reaches his final seizure on the list, his well-laid plans go haywire. The film ends on a note amusing and unexpected. As the end titles roll, splashed on the screen is some information that fans would find interesting. With it’s quintessential modern take, Burma is a rollicking, breezy roller-coaster ride.