Manigandan KR
Chennai, 16 Feb 2018 18:00 IST
Updated: 19 Feb 2018 17:57 IST
Refreshing and engaging, Naachiyaar is definitely worth a watch.
Director Bala is back with a bang! The director, whose last film Thaarai Thappattai (2016) was a big let down, scores with Naachiyar this time around.
The film is an interesting investigative thriller, which has some unexpected twists and turns, and ends with a flourish.
Naachiyaar (Jyothika), a senior police officer who is on the verge of going on a holiday with her family which comprises of her doctor husband and teenaged daughter, gets information that a girl that she has been on the look out for has been found.
Naachiyaar has been looking for this pregnant girl called Arasi (Ivana) because she believes Arasi has been raped by Kaathavaraiyan alias Kaathu (GV Prakash), a youngster from the poorer sections of society who ekes out a living by doing odd jobs.
Even as Naachiyaar rescues Arasi, she ensures that a special police team headed by police officer Feroz Khan (Rockline Venkatesh) nabs Kaathu.
While Arasi, who was working as a maid, is taken to the hospital for treatment, Kaathu is booked for rape as Arasi has not yet turned 18. This despite Arasi admitting that what happened between Kaathu and her was consensual. She literally begs Naachiyaar to let Kaathu off, but to no avail.
In the prison, Kaathu is ill treated, humiliated and beaten, both by prison officials and inmates. However, he has no qualms admitting to his relationship with Arasi, who he loves with all his heart.
The police is relieved that this is now a simple open and shut case, with Kaathu admitting to being in a relationship with Arasi.
Under these circumstances, Arasi delivers a male child. All that the police has to do now to get a conviction is match the child's DNA with Kaathu's DNA, so that the criminal's guilt can be proven beyond doubt in a court of law.
But that is where the problem begins. The lab, after testing, submits a report saying that the DNA samples do not match!
The film has some commanding performances from the artistes.
First among these is GV Prakash, who has undergone a complete transformation to turn into Kaathu. Right from the minute he appears on screen, his performance is just perfect.
Matching him move for move is newcomer Ivana who plays Arasi. Sparkling like a newly minted coin, Ivana owns the screen with a degree of comfort that only established artistes are known to enjoy. Her natural expressions and her screen presence make her performance a joy to watch. Clearly, this girl has immense potential and is likely to go a long way in Tamil cinema.
Rockline Venkatesh as police officer Feroz Khan has a commanding presence. His performance beautifully complements Jyothika's performance as Naachiyaar.
Jyothika, who is known to overact, seems to have come up with a measured performance in Naachiyaar.
The film has solid support in the form of Ilaiyaraaja's music. In fact, the background score is actually the backbone of this film.