Eka Veera Movie Review {3.5/5}: Critic Review of Eka Veera by Times of India

Unlike in Hollywood, Tamil movies based on books are few and far between, like“Azhargarsamiyin Kudhirai†last year.“Aravaan†is based on a chapter from the novel“Kaaval Kottam†, which won the Sahitya AkademiAward for its author Su Venkatesan in 2011. It describes a period in the historyof Madurai before the arrival of the British, when whole villages or palaces ofrich businessmen were guarded by men belonging to certaincommunities.It is good to see Aadhi taking up a challenging role,like in his earlier movies “Mirugam†and“Eeram†, after a lackluster“Ayyanar†last year. Sporting a toned look and aMadurai accent, he is quite convincing as the warrior Varipuli, but it isPasupathy who makes a strong comeback – after numerousvillain roles – as the wily but valiant Kombodhi. As theleader of the hamlet of thieves and as someone who is responsible for theirwelfare, he depiction of Kombodhi is spot on. He truly leads the pack when itcomes to the acting honours, much like his brilliant performance in thedirector’s earlier “Veyyilâ€.Dhansika is sadly under-utilized and most of her time on screen is in two songs. Also wasted are actors Bharath and Anjali in miniscule roles, as is Shweta Menon.Singer Karthik makes his debut as music composer,and does a good job on the romantic songs “Nila nilapoguthe†(Vijay Prakash and Harini) and “Unnakolla poren†(Karthikeyan and Bhavatharini).A lot ofwork has gone into recreating the look and costumes of a bygone era, and theresults show on the screen. Full marks to director Vasantabalan and art directorVijay Murugan for this. Cinematographer Siddharth displays his prowess,especially in the chase scenes shot in the lush green forests of Tamil Nadu andKerala, though he could have gone a bit easy on the use of fish-eye lens in acouple of scenes. Also avoidable was the poor quality of computer graphics inthe scene where Varipuli rescues Kombodhi from captivity hiding in between aherd of rampaging bulls.Editors Praveen K L and N B Srikanthmaintain a good tempo in the first half but the pace slackens later, especiallyin flashback scenes. Crisper editing and a shorter running time could have madefor a much better viewing experience.Vasantabalan had come in formuch praise for his earlier “Veyyil†and“Angadi Theru†. Sadly,“Aravaan†doesn’t match upto the standards set by them; it is well begun, but only halfdone.Tip-off: A period film that recreates the lives of certaincommunities of ancient Madurai