NAANE VARUVEN (2022)

Critic No. 291

Director: Selvaraghavan

Written by: Selvaraghavan, Dhanush

Produced by: V Creations

Casts: Dhanush, Indhuja Ravichandran, Prabhu, Yogi Babu, Elli Avrram

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Language: Tamil

Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery

SYNOPSIS: 

Prabhu (Dhanush) an average suburban man for whom his family is everything. His life is turned upside down when his daughter Satya is possessed by the ghost of a little boy.

REVIEW:

Right from the time of announcement of the project, the hype surrounding it was immense as the super successful combo of Dhanush-Selva-Yuvan is joining hands after 16 years. Of course, with successful history comes high expectations. As their confidence to release the film against India’s biggest film currently, Ponniyin Selvan is promising, I was all pumped out to witness their magic again.

The film kicks off with Prabhu (Dhanush) and his family, which includes his wife Bhuvana (Indhuja) and daughter Sathya (Hiya Davey) living their life peacefully. Like every horror movie, things start to get eerie when Prabhu discovers Sathya speaking to someone in the middle of the night regularly. After an episode with psychiatrist and new age technology driven ghost hunters, Prabhu gets to know that Sathaya is possessed by a young boy who seemed to be connected with Prabhu’s dark past. 

Though the film is not as twisty for now, the treatment and staging of supernatural elements are tastefully done and with Yuvan’s edgy music, each frame keeps us hooked. The second half takes a genre shift to psychotic thriller with the introduction of Prabhu’s twin brother, Kathir. Though the second half feels like another film, Dhanush excels in portraying a mentally disturbed guy. However, somehow, he lacks the intensity that he used to show in Selva’s previous films. Even during the lowest moment of Kathir, the expressions we get feel rushed. 

The film staggers through the shaky second half to an interesting climax. I urge all to take a look at the climax very closely where a significant plot twist is shown very subtly. If you realize it, you will be able to piece the moments before it to understand the actual reason of the spirit for creating the final rift between Prabhu and Kathir. 

The film is crisp, running for about 2 hours but somehow one might feel that the characters and their childhood flashbacks could have been fleshed out better so that the present conflict could have been much stronger. We also feel quite distant with Kathir and his baggage due to the thin flashback of the two characters. If only the set up has been stronger, we could have felt the urgency in the climax. The emotional notes are minimal as well in this moody thriller that feels more like a plot driven film than a character driven one, something that we rarely see in Selva's films. That said, the strong first half and the open ended climax makes up for this.

Yuvan delivers another solid work with the chilling score and songs while Om Prakash’s somber visuals fit the eerie tone the story warrants. Watch out for both of their work in the thrilling pre interval scene. 

Performance wise, except Dhanush, other actors have very small parts to play. Indhuja and Prabhu are used functionally while Yogi Babu’s comic relief sticks out like a sore thumb in a film like this. Compared to the seasoned supporting actors, the child actors, Sylvensten, Frankinsten and Hiya Davey shine well in their more prominent roles. 

Naane Varuven might not be explosive like Kadhal Konden (2002), Pudhupettai (2006) or Mayakkam Enna (2011) - Dhanush-Selva’s previous outings, but definitely a decent supernatural thriller that avoid any cliché horror staging and spoon feeding.

VERDICT:

Selvaraghavan takes a minimalist approach in his engaging psycho-supernatural thriller that banks on Dhanush’s acting prowess and Yuvan’s killer score, more than the writing itself. 

CELLULOID METER- 3.25/5: