Engaging story, but too many clichés
CONTINUING his trend of action thrillers, director Hari’s latest film, Poojay, has Vishal and Shruti Hassan in the lead roles.
They are supported by Sathyaraj, Suri, Jayaprakash, Mukesh Tiwari, Radhika Sarathkumar, Sithara, Thalaivasal Vijay, Prathap Pothan, Paandi, Manobala and R Sunderrajan.
Nineties actress Kausalya ( Kaalamellaam Kaadhal Vaazhga and Sollamale) also returns to film in an important role.
Vasu (Vishal) is a fearless young man who foils an assassination attempt on police superintendent Sivakozhundhu (Sathyaraj). He then meets the feisty Dhivya (Hassan) and soon falls in love with her.
But Vasu has a troubled history and it catches up with him as his past merges with the present in a violent meeting. Vasu has to deal with these new challenges.
Vishal has some scope for acting in the film and he shines wherever he can, but he is greatly held back by the lack of development in his character.
Hassan, still struggling with her pronunciation, emotes beautifully.
Sathyaraj is in a surprisingly subdued role while Jayaprakash is very impressive.
Sarathkumar is given limited scope, as are Kausalya and Sithara. Suri and Paandi provide some fun, occasionally straying towards being annoying, while Tiwari makes an unimpressive antagonist.
It’s a typical Hari formula— a good story that is loud, violent and features over-the-top fight sequences.
The pace is rapid, but this is at the expense of character depth and credibility of the plot. Despite these limitations, Hari must be commended for a crisp and witty script.
Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is well below his usual standards; there are only brief flashes of his usual level of experimentation.
Priyan’s cinematography consists of many aerial and high-angle shots with some rapid tracking and panning in an effort to match the pace of the screenplay. Unfortunately, this technique is overdone and thus loses its effectiveness.
Hari has put in minimal effort into this film, with its predictable characters, clichéd situations, an outdated type of villain and a parallel comedy track.
The fight scenes are ludicrous and the narrative style too stylised. Surprisingly, it won praise from many of the Indian critics.
Poojay has an engaging story that makes the film’s other flaws pardonable.