His earlier films have been non-linear in narrative style. But in Biriyani, a dark comic thriller, the director adopts a linear form. The film has many elements one has come to associate with a typical Venkat Prabhu flick. Karthi, who desperately needed a makeover, gets one here. Looking cool and stylish in some trendy clothes, the actor plays his part with charm and finesse.
While the first half sets the stage, it’s the second half that engages one with its suspense-mystery factor. However serious the situation, the director never lets go his sense of humour. Sugan (Karthi) is an incorrigible flirt despite having a girlfriend (Hansika). The director takes a dig at the memory-loss premise of The Hangover, but follows it here to nudge his narration forward. Premgi gets considerable screen space and comes out better than his earlier films. The director takes up considerable screen time depicting their antics, some of it not so entertaining. Working as a sales representative in a car showroom, Sugan gets to meet Varadarajan (Nasser), a powerful business tycoon. Nasser’s ‘Premgi-act’ in the climax is a fine piece. The man was under the police scanner for his illegal granite quarrying. Sugan’s taste for Biriyani makes him and Parasu stop at a roadside eatery. Soon their lives turn topsy-turvy with them becoming prime suspects in the disappearance of Varadarajan. How they extricate themselves and ferret out the culprit forms the rest. In the fray are CBI officer Riyaz (Sampath); a senior cop (Jayaprakash); the tycoon’s ambitious nephew and son-in-law Krishna (Ramki gets noticed here); mysterious, sexy and sensuous Maya (Mandy); and a ruthless hit-woman (Uma Riaz Khan). The unravelling of the mystery, however, does seem too simple an end, to an otherwise intriguing build-up. Splendidly choreographed is the one-on-one fight between Karthi and Uma. Yuvanshankar Raja’s songs are peppy, the picturisation of one a tribute to old Hollywood musicals. The director’s regulars like Arvind Akash, Vaibhav, Jai and Mahat appear briefly.
‘A Venkat Prabhu Diet’ mentions a caption in the opening scene. Meant to be a fun-ride, the director makes no pretense of it being otherwise. It has a thin plot, but it’s the director’s slick presentation and packaging that makes it an engaging pleasant watch.