555, Just a passable fare

With an interesting beginning and a weak climax, the movie sustains merely on Bharath’s sparkling performance

Film: ainthu ainthu ainthu 

Cast: Bharath, Mirthika, Erica, Santhanam,Sudesh Berry

Director: Sasi  

From soft sensitive romances like Sollamalae, Rojakoottam and Poo, Sasi shifts to a different genre. A psychological action-suspense thriller, Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu revolves around a man who sets out to solve the mystery of his missing girl friend whose existence is denied by his near ones. The director is able to sustain audience interest in the first half on the suspense element. But the second half meanders, the happenings lacking coherence and conviction.

When we first get to see Arvind, he is a deeply disturbed man. Seriously injured in a car accident, he recovers with scars on his body and mind. His psychiatrist declares him prone to violence and delusions. Arvind believes that his girl friend was in the car with him during the accident.

But his elder brother (Santhanam making an unlikely brother) denies her very existence, passing it all off as with figment of his imagination. With memories of his love affair with Liyana (Mirthika) continuing to haunt him, Arvind is determined to solve the mystery.

Manjari, his new colleague in office (Erica, an Ileana look-alike) joins him in his effort.The narration goes through some twists and turns. At a point, one gets the feel that it would go the Shutter Island way. But the latter part is more like Samar, the Vishal starrer. The love episodes depicted between Arvind and Liyana go the routine way. Liyana swallowing his claim of possessing a ‘special power’ seems naive and ridiculous after a time.

The second half is loosely etched. Frequent cuts-to-the-past disturb the pace and flow. Too many song-dance numbers act as further speed breakers.The unravelling of the mystery is bizarre and unconvincing. There are loopholes and unanswered questions. At one point, the narrations shifts to Gujarat, to honour killing and a love affair. This is the weakest link in the plot.

His role weakly fleshed out, Sudesh Berry a consummate actor of Hindi serials and films, fails to leave an impact. Bharath’s 6-pack abs, irrelevant and wasted in this scenario, comes to the fore in the climax fight. But the actor has put his heart and soul in his performance as the tormented Arvind. And this to an extent, makes 555 watchable.

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