An intriguing screenplay, a refreshing narrative style, and some fine performances make Urumeen a fascinating watch. The debutant director moves his narration with confidence, making an effort to strike away from the conventional method of story-telling. There may be the glitches, but not serious enough to mar the entertainment value of the film.
Director Sakthivel has divided his plot into three time periods. Different colour tones have been used as the plot traverses through the different periods. The first seven minutes (not to be missed) captivates one with its story about a brave noble warrior who is betrayed by his friend.
Shot in motion capture technology, it is a very commendable effort by the indigenous technical team. A book the warrior had written, would centuries later play an important part in the hero’s realising his identity and strength as he takes on his tormentor.
The story shifts to the present, where Selva, a callcenter worker sees his life strangely being linked to that of John’s, a ruthless man. The performances lend an added sheen to the happenings.
The lead actors get to play two different characters and sport two different looks. Simha is extremely watchable as Selva. The actor handles both the lighter scenes and the heavier ones with equal panache. Its a different playful Simha we get to see in the brief flashback to the college days. Reshmi’s pleasant screen presence makes up for her brief appearance as Selva’s colleague and girlfriend.
Pitching in his bit is Kali Venkat as Selva’s friend. The narration turns to complete action mode after Selva sees himself being targeted by John (Kaliarasan of Madras fame) who with a powerful coterie, ran a loan retrieving agency.
John’s rags-to-riches story, from a man who ran a small tea stall to a powerful gangster, is neatly narrated. The man not forgetting his humble days, relishes drinking his tea. Kalaiarasan essays the antagonist with style and flair. Yet another episode takes us to the pre-freedom period and to an estate owned by a Britisher, where history is repeated, with its story of friendship and betrayal.
The locations are eye catching. But it here the pace slackens. Also, the gruesome scenes of violence unleashed here, are not for the faint-hearted. Paranormal activities and premonitions, rebirth and retribution, all form part of the script, as Selva sees his life taking a strange turn. A yellow ball with a smiley, and an ancient book of revelation helps Selva in his mission to take on his detractor. Twice betrayed, he was determined not to fail this time, as he takes on his tormentor for the final face-off. For as he said,‘there is no greater betrayal in this world than that by a friend’.
The film is brilliant translation of the director’s vision to screen. A key strength is Ravindranath Guru’s cinematography, which captures the feel and mood of the different periods effectively. The fight scenes against different backdrops and props related to the periods, are choreographed very well. The narration could have been crisper and the film edited down from its roughly 142 minutes. A splendid effort by a debutant maker, Urumeen is an eminently watchable film.