‘Uyarthiru 420’ (Tamil)
Director: S. Premnath
Cast: Snehan, Vaseegaran, Meghnaraj, Akshara, Akshaya, Jaiprakash Chandrasekhar, Bosskey and Deepak
Premnath has made his directorial debut on big screen with ‘Uyarthiru 420’ after having apprenticed with Bharatiraja and directed many ad films. His plot has centered on a conman, Thamizh (played by Snehan), who plays on the weakness of humans to gain his ends.
As the title suggests Thamizh is an ‘honourable’ cheat who has a streak of loyalty. It’s an intriguing characterisation that helps to maintain an element of suspense throughout. For, we are never told what the character’s boundaries are, or how far Thamizh would go to achieve his aim. However, this deliberate ambiguity again is probably the film’s weak point too, because, for the most part, we are never sure what the director has in mind, and where the plot is heading for.
The lyricist-turned-actor fits as Thamizh, who manages to become a general manager of a chain of hotels owned by Rishi (a suave Vaseegaran, of ‘Kankalal Kaidhu Sei’), winning the latter’s confidence.
Snehan plays the role with a lot style. But he is a tad stiff, and could work on his expressions more. Also, the actor could have used his own voice (it was good enough in ‘Yogi’), than having it dubbed by another. And there are the dream songs with the girl in his life Iyal (a pretty Meghnaraj), which, well-shot though, appears at inopportune moments.
The film has a great look and style. But the narration moves in bits and pieces with a jumpy feel. And while the conman may claim complete control over a situation he had manipulated and its result too, it didn’t always appear so, like in the case of Rishi who comes out alive from a near death experience thanks to his presence of mind, though Thamizh later claims having maneuvered the situation.
The director introduces various characters, but takes a long time to reconnect to them, like JP (an elegant Jaiprakash), the unscrupulous newspaper baron, who, irked at Rishi’s impudence to contest a chamber election against him, plots his downfall. The sting operation against Rishi and his ladylove Devatha (Akshara, trying hard to fit in), and the whole courtroom scene where it is argued, could have been better handled.
It’s a good-looking cast, whether it’s the main characters or the ones in the fringe, the girls a sight for sore eyes. But why do the males walk around most of the time with dark glasses, like they had just stepped out of ‘Matrix’?
‘Uyarthiru…’ is an intriguing rogue.
Incomprehensible at times, unconvincing at others, but a tolerable, fairly lovable rogue.