Annanukku Jey

Annanukku Jey Movie Synopsis: The son of a toddy seller decides to become a politician to take on bar owner who tries to bring down his father.


Annanukku Jey Movie Review: For a political film, Annanukku Jey is refreshingly low-key. That seems just perfect because the film deals with the conflicts between people in the lower rungs of politics.


The setting is a mofussil locality - Mullai Nagar - where Matta Sekar (Dinesh, who gives his best performance since Attakathi) helps out his toddy seller dad Murugesan (Mayilsamy, who, for a change, gets to play a character instead of a comedian). The initial portions revolve around him wooing (with a little bit of stalking) Sundari (Mahima Nambiar). The plot kicks in when Irumbukkai Selva (Dheena), a functionary in the dominant party of the place, starts operating a bar. With the locals preferring Murugesan's toddy, he decides to use his political clout to run the guy out of business. Sekar realises that he needs political backing to survive and seeks the help of Parasuraman (Radha Ravi, in yet another effortlessly casual performance), a senior functionary in the same party. This angers Selva, who destroys Murugesan's toddy shop. An angry Sekar decides to finish Selva off, but what happens next changes the fortunes of all these characters in amusing ways.


Despite the premise offering the opportunity to narrate this story as a gritty action drama (a la Madras), Rajkumar chooses to tell it in a lighter, satirical vein. This is what makes Annanukku Jey different. Sekar doesn't transform from a happy-go-lucky guy to a revenge-seeking action hero following a crucial development. He continues to remain the same... An attempt on his life, however he outwit his attackers not with brawn but with brain. The evolution of this character is not external but mainly internal - he becomes wary and learns how to play the political game. Take the scene where he meets Parasuraman after being let down by the man in a time of need. He complains about not being offered any help and the wily politician replies in a wishy-washy manner. Sekar seems to accept his reasoning, but as he is about to leave, the two men seize up each other. This pause is all that the director needs to tells us what has changed in his protagonist.


Rajkumar also gives us a milieu that feels lived in. The mise en scène adds so much flavour to the film and helps make characters feel like they belong to the place. There is also an undercurrent of humour, which we get via throwaway lines and visual gags.


But where the film scores the most is in the subtle ways in which it takes a dig at politics. More importantly, it doesn't take the easier route - use contemporary political developments as reference to make its point. Instead, it focuses on the absurdity that can be observed in politics at the grassroot level. Rajkumar wants to say that in the larger scheme of things, the guys in the lower rungs are totally disposable. Even someone like Parasuraman is merely a pawn.