Aadhi Bhagavan Review

Ameer Sultan's Aadhi Bhagavan has been in the making since two years. The film was delayed for one or the other reason and almost had disappeared from the memories of audience. But the right kind of promotions from the past several weeks drew the lost attention once again. Adding to that the trailers and posters of the film helped to generate good vibes around the movie.

Aadhi Bhagavan, which is now Ameer's Aadhi Bhagavan after several Hindu groups raised objection over the original title, stars Jayam Ravi and Neetu Chandra in the lead roles. It is an action movie, which is the second film in Asia which has used Auro 3D audio technology after Kamal Hassan starrer Vishwaroopam. Read on to review to know what the film has to offer...

Aadhi and Bhagavan, both played by Jayam Ravi, live far away from each other, but destiny has it, they are bound to meet. Aadhi, a gangster in Bangkok, living a luxurious life is separated from family for having earned the wrath of his mother for choosing a career she is not happy with. On the other hand, Bhagavan, a local rowdy in Mumbai, is wanted dead or alive by the police for various nefarious activities he is involved in over the years.

To save Bhagavan from Mumbai police, his girlfriend-cum-advisor Rani, played by Neetu Chandra, drafts a plan to lure Aadhi into a trap to create a case of mistaken identity. How does Rani manage to bring Aadhi to Mumbai? This forms the rest of the story.

It is interesting to see someone as Jayam Ravi, who hasn't had big share of success, defy star status and slip into challenging dual roles. But, what worries me most is that whether audiences are willing to embrace this film considering the fact that Ameer has made such exceptionally good (read National award winning) and different films in the past.

The film struggles through the first half and tests your patience level until the big reveal. For most, the twist in the film comes as a shocker, but for me it didn't as I knew to some extent what was about to unfold. However, little could anyone guess about the doppelganger in Mumbai, and therefore, this part deserves full marks for establishing and maintaining some amount of suspense.

It is not often do we see an actor in dual roles not being biologically related and that's precisely the case in this film. However, Bhagavan's character leaves us wondering about his true state of identity because despite being an effeminate male, he takes special interest in women. Why is that? Is it because he is bisexual? If yes, then why play with his sexual identity at all? This part needs an answer, but Ameer takes no interest in addressing it in detail. Continue reading the review on the slideshow...

Aadhi Bhagavan Review

Ravi did his best in both the roles, but somehow it didn't quite excite me as much as I would have wanted someone else in this role. He was as usual in the role of a gangster, but not quite convincing as Bhagavan, which by the way was unarguably well received by one and all. It was as though one role was made to appear weak and naturally, the other one garnered all attention.

Aadhi Bhagavan Review

When it comes to technical department, Yuvan Shankar Raja has done good job. Three of his songs - 'Oru thuli vishamai...', 'Agadam bagadam...' and 'Kaatriley nadanthene...' are good. His background score is also appreciable.

Aadhi Bhagavan Review

K Devaraj's cinematography is praise worthy. Especially, he has brilliantly captured action scenes on his camera. However, Ahmed's editing is not up to mark.

Aadhi Bhagavan Review

Last but not least, Ameer Sultan's direction is good. He has tried his best to bring the best out of his team and has almost succeeded in it. Though there are minor issues in the story, those are ignorable as the film is entertaining.

Aadhi Bhagavan Review

Verdict: To see Ameer tread unchartered territories is a welcome change and I hope he sticks to it. Thanks to him, we get to see the potential of Neetu and Ravi as actors and not merely as instruments of entertainment.