MOVIE REVIEWS

Saran-Ajith Magic again.

A racy, sophisticated thriller, the movie brings together Ajith and Saran, who created magic at the box- office with Kadhal Mannan, Amarkalam and Attagasam. Seemingly inspired by the Mahabharata, Aasal is basically about a battle between siblings. Jeevanandham (Ajith) sells arms and ammunition to the French government. Reputed for his honesty, Jeevanandham has to tackle trouble in his own backyard. His sons Sam (Sampath) and Vicky (Rajeev Krishna) can’t bear the sight of Shiva (Ajith), their dad’s illegitimate son. But the latter has no issues and loves his brothers. Sara (Sameera Reddy), who works in the French embassy, has a crush on Shiva. Trouble erupts when Jeevanandham dies. Sam and Vicky, abetted by their scheming uncle Kalivardhan (Pradeep Rawat) disobey their father’s final wishes and decide to trade firearms with a group supporting ultras. In the process they incur the wrath of Mumbai-based don Brijesh Shetty (Kelly Dorji), who kidnaps Vicky to teach them a lesson. It’s now up to Shiva to come all the way to Mumbai with Sara to track down Vicky. In the process, he comes across Mirasi (Prabhu), his dad’s friend, a buffoon, Don Samosa (Yuhi Sethu) and Sulabha (Bhavana). Eventually he succeeds in rescuing his brother, but more trouble awaits him, where the brothers hatch a plot to bump him off. The rest of the story is about how Shiva goes back to Paris and emerges victorious. Ajith is a scene stealer. He carries the weight of the film on his shoulders and he does so with ease. Bhavana and Sameera are typical heroines who fall for the hero — the former seems to enjoy more screen space. There are a host of baddies, including Sampath Raj, Rajeev Krishna and Pradeep Rawat. They are competent. Yuhi Sethu as Don Samosa brings the roof down with his hilarious antics, in particular his references to 'Thala'. The producer of the film (veteran actor Prabhu) has chosen to do a cameo. Adding sheen to the movie is Mishale’s breathtaking cinematography, while Anthony’s editing is slick. Bharadwaj’s tunes are hummable, but the background score is jarring in places. The stunts by Kanal Kannan and foreign fight masters are a treat to watch. With trendy costumes, beautiful locales and style in every frame, Saran has gone big and beautiful in Asal-entertainer.