Film: Pokkiri Raja
Cast: Jiva, Hansika
Director: Rayappa
The urge to break away from conventional themes and to venture into off-beat ones is present in many filmmakers of this generation. While one can appreciate the intention, ‘different’ doesn’t necessarily have to mean ‘satisfactory’. Case in point is Pokkiri Raja. It’s a conventional title, but the issue Rayappa has tackled is vastly different from the routine ones. Rayappa, in his earlier debut effort, Thamizhuku En Ondrai Azhuthavum, had opted for an off-beat theme too. The novelty and the freshness of the issue and its treatment were greatly appreciated. But this time, in his enthusiasm to offer yet another off-the-beaten-track fare, Rayappa doesn’t quite seem to have succeeded.
The issue tackled here, just as the story, is the big yawn. Hero Sanjeevi just can’t stop his yawns, and this leads him into various problems. He’s kicked out of jobs, as his yawning is infectious enough to put the entire office to sleep. The opening is promising, and we have to savour it, as we’re not quite sure where the narration is taking us and what we are in for.
Heroine Sunita, while working at a software company, is an activist of-sorts leading a ‘Clean Country Movement’. And we applaud her efforts as she and her team shower water from a water tanker on unsuspecting men busy attending nature’s call in public places. After the initial mandatory misunderstanding, when Sunita thaws towards Sanjeevi, his refrain from being ‘second hand’ — he was just out of a failed love affair — elicits a funny response from her.
Jiiva has done whatever was expected of him. Hansika is cute and bubbly and let’s face it, that’s all that is required of her. Yogi Babu, as the hero’s constant companion, peps up the moments he is on screen. The film has some fun moments. But these are unfortunately few and far between. After the initial episodes, the narration soon slips into the formulaic mode.
The hero with a problem who falls in love at first sight with the heroine, the sidekicks trying to pep up the scene, the villain humiliated by the hero and out for vengeance…like we mentioned in the beginning, yawwwn!
Sanjeevi’s problem is given a medical term and a backstory. This takes us to the pre-independence era and a man’s skill and power to harness the wind. The animated part here is more exciting than the film as a whole. The entry of the villain ‘Cooling Glass Guna’, shows Sibi in a new avatar. The actor looks cool and sleek in dhoti-shirt attire; and he gets almost equal space as the hero. If only the character of Guna had been as interesting as his demeanour and attire.
It’s amusing when Guna feigns blindness and gets to watch the unsavoury acts of his henchmen. Both Sibi and Munishkanth put up a good show here. The film’s unusual theme didn’t match the script, and at about 141 minutes of viewing time, it’s just too long for comfort. Pokkiri Raja is a good intention gone haywire!