Film: Romba Nallavanda Nee
Director: A.Venkatesh
Cast: Senthil, Shruti Bala, Sarvajith, A.venkatesh,Sona, Robot Shankar
His films are mostly action-oriented, predictable and average entertainers. But A. Venkatesh springs a surprise here. His latest venture Romba Nallavanda Nee is totally different in theme, narrative style and feel, compared to his earlier ventures. It’s a film you wouldn’t have associated with him. Crafting a screenplay that is crisp and focused, the director moves his narration deftly, blending dark humour, suspense and thrill with fair success. For ‘Mirchi’ Senthil, Bhaskar is a character that offers him more scope to perform than his earlier roles. He essays it with fair competence. The first half is hilarious, the director squeezing out every ounce of humour from the dark situations. The film opens with Bhaskar on the verge of suicide and accosted by a stranger (a cool menacing Sarvajith). In a drunken stupor, when prodded by the stranger, Bhaskar tells him his woes and about the various people who had driven him to the brink of death. Back to his senses later, Bhaskar realises to his dismay that he had struck a dangerous ‘deal’ with the stranger, which the latter was determined to carry out. The plot is more like a Strangers on a Train blended with Seven. With a lot of fun moments in the first half, the narration takes a suspense-thriller mode in the second. It’s a well-crafted finale wrapped up with a smart ending.