After a brief stint as an actor in Malayalam films, followed by his debut on the tamil screen in Thambi Arjuna, Feroz Khan turns director. Pasakkara Nanbargal scripted, directed and produced by him, has his son Ajmal Khan playing the lead, with Feroz appearing as a supporting character.
Set against the backdrop of kick boxing, the film centres on the relationship between Arun, an orphan passionate about kick boxing, and Khader a coach who runs a training academy for the sport.
Ajmal Khan debuting as Arun, brings out the vulnerability and the toughness of the character, his rough edges lending a natural feel to the performance. Some of the situations have a certain familiarity about them. Arun’s clashes with Pandi and his rowdy gang in school; Khader’s favourite kick boxer leaving the academy in a huff after a tiff with Khader; the inmates of Karunai Illam (where Arun had been brought up) being threatened with eviction, are all familiar scenarios.
A rather detailed episode of a lecherous man molesting his house maid could have been avoided. The scene with a cop abandoning his aged mother by the roadside is another unwanted distraction. Perhaps the director has attempted to tackle too many issues at one go. There are a couple of situations where the characters do not react to expected lines. Case in point, the scene with Pandi’s gangster brother Bhavani’s low-key reaction when Pandi complains to him of being bashed up by Arun. Or of Bhavani’s response when he is hired by the land owner to forcibly evict the aged inmates of Karunai Illam.
Also appreciable is the way the director has depicted the deep platonic bonding between Arun and his classmate Divya (a chirpy Divya Nagesh. Devoid of romance, we are saved from conventional dream songs here. The scenes of the training and preparation at Khader’s academy for the impending tournament, and the whole staging of the event, has an authentic realistic feel. The director has done his homework on the sport. It’s an exciting build-up to the finish, with a twist in the end. Feroz Khan plays Khader with understanding, his athletic body and demeanour aptly suited for the role of a trainer.Pasakkara Nanbargal is a promising effort from a debutant director.