The USP of Jananathan’s national award-winning 'Iyarkkai', and 'Ee' is that they are foreign novel-turned films; The White Nights in Russian, and The Constant Gardener in English, respectively. And now the director has turned for inspiration to yet another Russian literary work, The Dawns Here Are Quiet, for his latest, 'Peraanmai'. And this time he has graciously acknowledged it on his credit list.
Most of the action in 'Peraanmai' takes place in a forest, the apt locations, with the camera work being its plus points. With the camera often panning the entire landscape, we get the feel of a much larger forest ambience than what is spatially used by the actors. A more ambitious venture than the director’s previous films, Peraanmai has warranted a lot more creative input on the art work and execution, dealing as it was with rocket launches, missiles, and research labs. For Jeyam Ravi it is a total makeover from his earlier soft roles. With his physique toned and almost unrecognizable in his gaunt-looking new avatar, Ravi is a revelation in this film. With sincerity and conviction he cruises through the role of Druvan an educated youth, rooted to the tribal community he hails from. And there are the five starlets with their spirited portrayal of the rebellious NCC cadets, on a day’s trekking trip to the forest, with Druvan as their guide and trainer. Shades of The Mission and Rambo could be seen here.
Frequent muting of the dialogue, where Druvan’s senior (Ponvannan) passes derogatory comments on the youth’s lineage, are jarring. The earlier portion has its flawed moments too; for instance the way the girls resent Druvan and scheme to show him in an unfavourable light. But it is in the forest episodes, where Druvan slips into the ‘Rambo’ mode, that the whole scenario starts falling apart. Druvan and his girls stumble on a plan by a group of foreign mercenaries hired by some unnamed powers, to thwart India’s nuclear progress. A rocket which is to be launched, is targeted for destruction. Here, one would have expected the whole area to be under high security and cordoned off. But all the players seem to have walked into the forest area without the slightest obstruction. Scenes of Druvan and the girls’ physical combats with the mercenaries (a self-conscious bunch, with stagy dialogue delivery), and their pathetically falling down (including their leader, played by Kickinger of Terminator 4) totally lack conviction. The final act where Druvan and girls grapple with the complex missile, is too juvenile to be taken seriously.
The director can be lauded for experimenting with different genres, and for his effort to deviate from the routine formula elements. But while Peraanmai can be a stepping stone for further such ventures, it also reveals that our filmmakers have a long way to go, before they can successfully execute such complex plots on screen.