2020, Tamil, Disney Hotstar, 8.1/10 IMDB, Directed by RJ Balaji, N.J . Saravanan
A ‘cautiously’ made satire film, that ends up a tad preachy and not as fun as the director’s previous outing in spite of ‘Goddess’ Nayantara.
The much hyped trailer, dulls the first half hour of the film. As expectation had soared high for Nayantara’s entry as the Goddess, RJ Balaji’s family drama slows down the pace.
Just when you are resonating the screenplay and the actor with the 1984 ‘Dhavani Kanavugal’ of Director K. Bhagyaraj, there pops the song from his other film ‘Antha Ezhu Naatkal’, ‘Enakkum Unnakkum Thaan Porrutham’ as the que song for Nayanthra to appear in front of him.
With the revisit of devotional films on TV, during the recent Navarathri festivity, you are picturizing Maya bazaar’s Ranga Rao when Nayantara eats sumptuously and the ‘Sarasvathi Sabhadham’ Savithri, when she rages to see her small sized photo adjacent to the big Venkatachalapathy photo.
God Vs Godmen is the core plot. Socially conscious in the real life, its commendable that RJ Balaji, attempts to rhyme the godmen, to the real life godmen of the south. But the boldness in his previous outing in L.K.G, a satire on the political drama in Tamil Nadu, is missing here as the director plays safe, as the plot treads on the religious forte.
Nayantara, is divine and would have loved to see more of her on screen in those gorgeous attires. Sadly the character’s arc is not explored enough.
Urvasi is on an unrestrained spree and does justice to the mom’s role. Thankfully her loudness doesn’t get on your nerve. Ajay Gosh as Godman, exasperates. His screen space could have been traded with more time for Nayantara.
A good watch.