Pattiyal
Genre: Action Director: Vishnuvardhan Cast: Arya, Bharat, Pooja, Padmapriya Storyline: A couple of killers go about hacking down big people for money, but one day they find themselves in a spot. Bottomline: Daredevilry or sheer bloodbath?
It's bloody action from start to finish in SG Films Private Limited's `Pattiyal' (A). The heartening factor is of course, the lesson it seems to impart — that violence as a means can only lead to a disturbing end.
The disappointment of `Kurumbu' notwithstanding, Vishnuvardhan went on to make a runaway success of `Arindhum Ariyaamalum,' and has now followed it up with an action-packed `Pattiyal.'
Kosi (Arya) and Selva (Bharat) are orphans who grow up to be the thickest of friends. In fact friendship forms the base of `Pattiyal.' They are hired killers who go about knifing or gunning down their targets with clinical precision. Selva is deaf and mute but has a photographic memory as far as a mission is concerned. Saro (Padmapriya) is madly in love with Kosi and you also see a romantic interlude with Selva and Sandhya (Pooja). VMC. Haneefa's role of Sami, the middleman who hires Kosi and Selva, fits him like a glove.
Arya comes out with a neat portrayal of Kosi, a drunkard very well aware of where their dark lives would take them. His rough exterior that hides the warmth is brought out well. Bharat's Selva is an example of apt casting. The two young actors are honing their skills with every film. In fact, be it Pooja or Padmapriya, VMC. Haneefa or Bala (who plays Sappai, a tea shop assistant with big dreams), each has come out with a credible performance.
When Kosi in a drunken stupor talks about funerals, you know what's in store. And the irony is, in a film that deals with nothing but murder and melee, not one policeman makes so much as an appearance! It's as though you are living in a free-for-all world where you can go about butchering people at will, with no questions from any quarter.
Crisp treatment
Rajkannan's dialogue with its comic undertones, gallows humour and profound observations lifts the scenes. Vishnuvardhan's screenplay is a major reason for the crispness of `Pattiyal.' Even when switching over to flashback mode, Vishnu adopts a subtle yet racy approach. Amply contributing to it is Sreekar Prasad's editing.
Remiyan's art takes you to settings, sometimes perplexing and at other times true to life. Cameraman Nirav Shah's use of light and shade, his silhouettes and the texture help Vishnu present his story in the right milieu.
Among Yuvan Shankar Raja's compositions `Daei! Namma Maelam,' and `Namma Kaattulae ... ' sung by Ilaiyaraja remain with you. Thankfully, Vishnu has not brought in a Mumbai figure for an item number. Padmapriya fills the bill to a certain extent. With proficient dancers like Bharat around it must have been a field day for choreographer Kalyan.
When the bad kill the bad, you cannot expect sympathy. So when the heroes (!) go about killing men for money in cold blood and later when they are at the receiving end, apart from the initial shock you feel nothing.
Vishnuvardhan, who heads the `Pattiyal' team with his story, screenplay and direction, doesn't expect any finer feelings from the filmgoer. He's got a taut storyline, clearly defined characters, and a twist in the last scene that tells you in categorical terms that perpetrators of crime can never be annihilated. They will always find a gullible henchman to do their job. But on the whole the overdose of gore in `Pattiyal' bothers you.
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