Kreedom - Review

By: Settu Shankar
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Writing a short story is completely different from making a film. Similarly, making film on a short story is risky business. Some compromises and extra work should be done to make a film racy and entertaining. The classic Rajini - Mahendiran film Mullum Malarum is a perfect blend of literature with mass entertainment. Debutant directors like Vijay must be aware of this before making a film with a mass hero like Ajith!

If the director wants to tell the story of Kreedom like a novel is written, it would definitely win accolades from intellectuals. But for a mass medium like cinema, it won't work. Kreedom is the story of a dream that a doting father has for his son and is how all his hopes get shattered before his dream can get fulfilled. The film is a remake of the Malayalam hit originally made in the eighties with the same title but it has a few changes incorporated to suit Tail sensibilities.

Though the film is basically about the values of a relationship, it fails to grab the attention of the viewers because of the lagging screenplay. Right from the first scene, Ajith's role is underplayed. He doesn't enact the romantic scenes well. As a matter of fact, Trisha overshadows the actor with her performances in these scenes.

Shakthivel (Ajith) is the obedient son of an honest head constable, Rajarajan (played by Raj Kiran). Rajarajan's dream is for his son to become a police officer before his retires. Shakthivel makes an effort to realise his fathers dream. He starts working out in an effort to achieve his fathers dream. He even writes the Police examinations.

His father Rajarajan, being an honest man, faces opposition from some rowdies when he books a MLA's son for breaking the law. He sends the MLA's son on a punishment transfer to Kodiakkarai where Ajay a local rowdy is running his own parallel government. Want to guess how the rest of the story goes...just as you would expect!!!

Divya (aka Trisha) meets Ajith and falls in love with him. Her accept the proposal to have their daughter marry him as they find him to be a decent boy. By this time, Shaktivel passes his examinations and is waiting for a posting as a police officer. Destiny twists his life and things don't work out as he hopes.

He ends up having to fight Ajay after getting emotional about his fathers difficulty in keeping with t law. His fathers dream is shattered and his name ends up being on the list of criminals in the police station rather than the list of police personnel appointees.

Ajith has played the role of an obedient son with ease and comfort. But he has to concentrate more on his body language, which is not upto the mark in the films romantic scenes. His scenes with Rajkiran are one of the more mature scenes in the film. Raj Kiran's cameo in the film is small - yet it has brought the spotlight on him. Trisha has put up a good show employing the right body language tactics and comedy timing.

Comedian Vivek fails to invoke laughter with his role in the film. The films editor Shantaram should have cut out the ambiguous dialogues in the film. These dialogues have caused people to overlook his performance in the film. AR Rahman's cousin GV Prakash has composed music that is bane to the films credits. He has merely copied his uncle's Dil Se song for one of the films songs.

Thiru's camera work is a highlight in the film. He has captured the blue and green colours of nature in Kerala and Vizag where the film was shot. Director AL Vijay should take extra care when directing his next film. A negative approach doesn't go well with the Tamil film audience. Even if the script is good, a negative ending spoils the film. After all, people generally try to move ahead and achieve more in their lifetimes. A positive ending only inspires to do so.
Verdict: Disappointment!

Details:
Cast: Ajith, Trisha, Raj Kiran, Ajay, Vivek, Manobala, Ravi Kale
Music: G.V.Prakash
Banner: Sujatha Cine Creations and ADLABS
Written and Directed by: A.L.Vijay