Naane Varuven Review; Stellar performance and story by Dhanush make this movie entertaining

• REVIEW BY ARUNJYOTHI R 

•Language: TAMIL

•Duration: 02 Hour 02 Minutes. 

•Genre: Supernatural Psychological Thriller. 

•POSITIVES: 

1: DIRECTION 

2: STORY

3: SCREENPLAY 

4: PERFORMANCE OF DHANUSH 

5: BACKGROUND SCORE 

6: CINEMATOGRAPHY 

7: LIGHTING 

8: EDITING 

• NEGATIVES:

1: AVERAGE SECOND HALF 

2: SCREENPLAY NEEDS IMPROVEMENT 

2: SECOND HALF WAS RUSHED. 

3: ENDING LACKS TO GIVE A PROPER IMPACT. 

4: COLOUR GRADING IN SOME SCENES LOOKED BAD. 

•ONE WORD: Stellar performance and story by Dhanush make this movie entertaining. 

•STORY IDEA: 

The film revolves around twins Kathir and Prabhu.  Among them, Kathir is so rude, arrogant and troublesome that his parents consider him a cursed child.  Some unexpected events separate them for 20 years.  Nowadays, Prabhu is well settled and lives happily with his daughter and wife.  After a family vacation, Prabhu’s (Satya) daughter is possessed by an evil spirit. Her health and mental condition will be seriously affected and suicidal tendencies will put her life in danger. Prabhu will be deeply hurt seeing his daughter’s condition and no matter what he will decide to save his daughter at any cost. 

•ANALYSIS OF THE DIRECTION, STORY, SCREENPLAY AND DIALOGUES:

The film Naane Varuvean is directed by Selvaraghavan and written by Dhanush. The movie is produced and distributed by Kalaipuli S. Thanu under V Creations and in Kerala Aashirvad Cinemas handles the distribution. Yuvan Shankar Raja composes the music, Bhuvan Srinivasan does the editing and Om Prakash handles the cinematography for the film. With a running time of 122 minutes, the film is currently running in theatres with a censor certificate of U/A. 

We saw some incredible films when Selvaraghavan and Dhanush teamed up for ‘Tulluvato Ilamai’, ‘Kathal Konden’ and ‘Puthupettai’. Those films were highly acclaimed and became box-office hits. So people started putting faith in Dhanush and Selvaraghavan’s combo. So like everyone else, when ‘Nane Varavan’ was announced, I expected a different film. The music of Yuvan Shankar Raja, the direction from Selvaraghavan and the script from Dhanush made my expectation higher. Therefore to be honest, ‘Nanne Varuvean’ is a film with a unique concept set against the backdrop of a familiar set of twin brothers. I’m sure the movie will entertain everyone and I’m happy to say that the Selvaraghavan-Dhanush-Yuvan combo has won and has once again worked out. 

The atmosphere and premise of the film ‘Naane Varuvean’ are fascinating, I enjoyed the vibe of this film. The horror mood, the thrilling scenes, the supernatural happenings, the crimes and the interesting twin brother storyline had provided me with an enjoyable experience. The twin brother stories are now common these days but in ‘Naane Varuvean’ the director Selvaraghavan and writer Dhanush had brought some interesting concepts, it was unique and looked fresh. The mood that this movie gives will make you thrilled and the way the movie is unfolding will also amuse you. While watching this film I was getting a feeling of excitement and curiosity about what is next and what will happen to them, so the experience of ‘Naane Varuvean’ was delightful. There are some flaws, but those flaws didn’t make the overall quality bad, I’m sure no one will be disappointed after watching ‘Naane Varuvean’. 

The first major positive factor of this film is the storyline, the plot of this film has successfully got some ingredients to entertain us. The story of the film happens between a twin brother and it’s common but the concepts like supernatural and psychological elements were blended in the right place and Selvaraghavan executed it authentically for the film. The screenplay was also effective, I was able to connect with the emotions of the central characters. The occurrences in the screenplay and the subplots which unfolded in the screenplay were making the movie more gripping. The scenes where the twin brothers meet after a long gap and the circumstances through which they meet made my mind crazy. It’s because the placement of scenes was accurate, the proper connection was given for the next scene, and we won’t feel an incompleteness till the climax. Seriously, this movie had a stunning first half, everything in the first half was making me enthusiastic but the second half missed the momentum and ended up in a decent manner. The wow factor found in the first half was missing in the second half. The second half and climax of the movie should have been made better, the screenplay lacked to give an impact. 

The concepts and ideas brought by Dhanush to the script are convincing, it never felt exaggerated or dramatic. The supernatural theme was crammed with psychological angles and it pursued a smooth flow. It didn’t get diverted, the core subject was fresh, the central characters were given equal importance and how the various incidents affect the life of the hero and villain makes the storyline more compelling. Sadly other supporting characters in the film were not given space, the characters of Indhuja, Prabhu and Yogi Babu looked shoddy. The hunting of supernatural energy towards the end of the first half was brilliantly executed by Selvaraghavan. There I was able to see the brilliance of Selvaraghavan, whose clever way of direction had given me a big impression. The direction of Selvaraghavan till the climax was on the right track, but the ending looked weak, both Dhanush and Selvaraghavan are responsible for the average climax. 

The first half focused on the life of one of the main central characters, his family, his work, his happiness, and his bond with his daughter was portrayed effectively. Those scenes had given a good feel, as director Selvaraghavan had produced some good scenes of family love and sentiments, so I was able to rectify the emotions. Shortly after the movie tracked into a thriller backdrop, 

the totality of the movie started to change. I was sensing something different and was not wrong because the film was constantly showing riveting ideas of supernatural and psychological aspects. I was wondering whether it was supernatural or psychological and I loved that confused feeling of my mind. The interval block was terrific, had blown my mind and I was also shocked by seeing the presentation of that scene. It was directed amazingly by Selvaraghavan, the mood of fear and horror was felt all over. The entrancing interval twist had given the hope of something big but unfortunately, the second half didn’t maintain the quality of the first half.  

The second half was concentrating more on the negative character, things went more engrossing after the revealing of the subplot. The subplot was portraying his emotions and secrets, also the way he lives and his family angle was shown effectively. Those parts were nicely written by Dhanush the flashback scenes had given an influence. Proper detailing was given to the negative character, his struggles, his anger and his hate had the depth to hook us and those scenes haven’t given any lag. Till the climax everything was perfect, the screenplay maintained the grip and the direction of Selvaraghavan followed the right momentum. Towards the ending the movie started to get off-balance, felt like the makers were rushing to end the film. The climax looked ordinary, there is an important scene where the twin brothers meet after a long time and that was supposed to create a big impact but that scene was made poorly. I kept on wondering why Selvaraghavan had opted for a simple-mannered climax, no wow factors were seen. The ending was good but I couldn’t find the passionate touch of Selvaraghavan, also the way it ended lacked a punch. The film leaves a trail for a possible second part but the screenplay needs to be stronger. So I can guarantee you that the engaging way of direction by Selvaraghavan and the story written by Dhanush is worth your time and money. 

•PERFORMANCE OF ACTORS: 

The movie has the casting of Dhanush, Indhuja Ravichandran, Yogi Babu, Prabhu, Elli AvrRam, Shelly Kishore and many more. As the hero and as a villain Dhanush had done a massive performance, and the energy we can see in his performance was huge. The way he acted out and the way he expressed the emotions in his character was outstanding. The two different character shades and the two types of behaviour were carefully handled by Dhanush without any errors. The facial expressions were impressive, we will be able to see the demeaning emotions of his two-character. The innocence and the anger were expressed authentically, as a dual role he maintained the personality of the two characters correctly. The dialogue delivery of Dhanush was wonderful, timing issues were never felt and his voice also had the power to contrive us. The fight sequence looked good and the costume style looked precise, and the mannerism of the two twin brothers was also easily undertaken in the right manner. In the emotional scene, the acting of Dhanush was top-class, especially when he cries we will be able to sense his natural acting. Indhuja Ravichandran didn’t have enough space to perform so the performance looked normal. Yogi Babu was ok, some scenes brought humour but his character was written out poorly. Prabhu as the psychologist was average, his character was also lacking in-depth so nothing much to mention. Shelly Kishore did a notable performance as the mother, her emotional scenes and the acting looked natural. Elli AvrRam looked gorgeous and her mother’s character was good. She performed well and the bondage of a caring mother was able to be seen in her performance. 

•MUSIC, BACKGROUND SCORE:

The music for the film is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja which includes the background score. The soundtrack consists of four songs and the songs were nice to hear. The track “Veera Soora” is my favourite among the tracks, the energy and vibe which the song gives while listening is huge. Also, the visuals of the song in the film were superb, the action sequences had the song more vibrant. The lyrics of Selvaraghavan was also matching the song and the voice of Yuvan Shankar Raja and Muthu Siripi made it flawless. The song “Rendu Raja” was superb because of the voice and lyrics of Dhanush. The song maintained a nice mood of thrill and tension, and the lyrics were giving the hint of who is the hero and villain. The song “Pinju Pinju Mazhai” was melodious, and the visuals brought the love and affection of a father and daughter relationship. The vocals of Sid Ram had given a nice pleasant feel and Yugabharathi had given the right words for the song. 

The background score tuned by Yuvan Shankar Raja is one of the major plus factors of this film. His background tunes helped the film to boost the mood. I’m sure that the tunes will engage everyone and will attract them to the scenes. Every BGM was made according to the scene and the tunes synched perfectly with every scene. The building of tension and eagerness drives all through the film, so to give that feel Yuvan Shankar Raja had given some unique set of tunes and it came out well. The climax was not satisfying for me but the background scores in those areas impressed me. The scene just before the interval block was mesmerizing, I was shocked by the stunning visuals. In those scenes, the sense of excitement was heavily passed by the background score. It was an important crucial scene in the film and without making it dull to give more impact the composer Yuvan Shankar Raja had come up with some electrifying tunes. Those tunes were thrilling, scary and amusing at the same time, so I will say that Yuvan Shankar Raja clearly understood what this film demanded and had given a proper and appropriate set of background music. 

•TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 

The technical quality of the film was impressive, and the cinematography of Om Prakash was outstanding. He had given the right visuals and the various types of shots were remarkable. The lighting methods were brilliant, and the mood of fear and the situation of the supernatural premise were effectively captured. The lighting methods gave more vibrancy to the supernatural scenes, and the flat where the central characters reside had the setup of perfect lighting. That darkish lighting method and the colour grading had the perfect combination and it looked matching on the screen. The outdoor visuals of the hill station and the living places of the villain were properly shot by the cinematographer. The forest hunting visuals were amazing, and the fight moves of Dhanush were also caught steadily. The close-up frames of Dhanush in the emotional scenes consisted of various angles. Those different placements of the camera and the close-up frames helped to showcase his natural way of acting. The scenes in which some groups of youngsters come to rectify supernatural presence had the best shots and visuals. The red lighting, the sudden camera movements and the placement of the camera helped to give a big impact. The editing of Bhuvan Srinivasan was fine, the transition of the scene didn’t have a mismatched feeling. I am having mixed opinions on colour grading because for some scenes it was perfect but for some scenes, it was not matching. For the indoor scenes, the colour grading was fine but for the outdoor scenes, the dark grey tone was not that accurate. The set arrangement by the art department deserves special mention, the mood and the premise of the scary atmosphere was seen authentically throughout.  

•CONCLUSION:

So overall I enjoyed watching ‘Naane Varuvean’, the vibe and atmosphere of this film were captivating, I liked everything until the climax. The supernatural scenes in the film were wonderfully executed and the added psychological elements made it more tempting. The hero-villain play of twin brothers was interesting and the energetic performance of Dhanush will blow your mind. The script by Dhanush and the direction by Selvaraghavan have got the components to attract us and I am sure that the movie won’t disappoint anyone. Still, the climax was average and the second half was rushed, but the first half was excellent. Therefore, to conclude, if you love to watch a different kind of thriller with a supernatural backdrop the movie ‘Naane Varuvean’ will be a good choice. 

•VERDICT: ABOVE-AVERAGE 

•RATING: 3/5

• REVIEW BY ARUNJYOTHI R