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Entertainment
"Success"
"Success" comes with a sentimental note.
ACTUALLY IT is not fair on hero Dushyanth who makes his debut with grandpa, veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan's gargantuan image weighing down on his young shoulders. Naturally the expectation about Esakki Creations' "Success" and its hero is high.
Dushyanth is the third hero from the Ganesan household. And at no point in the film are you allowed to forget his great lineage. Thus when the hype is so great, they could have taken extra care to weave a fast paced fare.
Every time you expect something significant to happen, it doesn't. If that's a strong point it is a weakness too. Because at crucial points the screenplay flounders and the pace takes a beating.
This is Suresh Prasanna's first film as screenplay writer and director.
Ganesh (Dushyanth) is brought up by his sister Radhika, who sacrifices marriage for the brother's sake. The brother is equally caring. So when she is humiliated by his friend Swetha (Sonia Agarwal) and her parents it leads to an unexpected twist — but one that is not backed by any rationale as Ganesh seeks revenge in a very quixotic way. It is Radhika who is to be faulted for her assumptions and haste. And why could Y. Gee. Mahendra's family not have been more discreet about the fate of their daughter Maha (Nandana)? Tom-toming the trauma to the entire world only shows them in poor light.
Dushyanth is impressive in stunts and reasonably appealing in dance but as far as expressions are concerned he has a very long way to go.
He's not a patch on the granddad now. But probably with ample time, support and goodwill this young man could hone his skills in the departments he's lagging behind. Such is the legacy bequeathed to him.
Sonia Agarwal is almost a non-entity in "Success" — a clear letdown after "Kadhal Kondain". Nandana's is a powerful role in which she acquits herself quite well. Urvasi is slowly turning into a comedienne to reckon with and if that's her forte, why not? In typical Brahmin lingo she evokes a laugh or two. And when she forgets it and strays into the common dialect in the climax, it becomes another kind of comedy. It is almost a resurrection for Y. Gee. Mahendra who enters the big screen after a very long time. He's a serious character actor this time round. A visibly rotund Roja is apt as the responsible sister. Will someone tell Karunas that there is more to acting than sheer screaming? His assault on the eardrum is unpardonable.
The lighting and camera work in the temple sequence are appealing. But cinematographer Ravinder's odd close-ups (the train scene is an example) confound you. The duet shot on Dushyanth and Nandana stays on your lips although the tune is not new.
The fight at the railway station and the serious discussion at home are juxtaposed too often that you feel that the time factor is neglected. The group is at home one moment and at the station the next — confusing! Suresh Urs takes credit for the editing. Half the time the film gives the feeling that you are watching a television serial on a larger canvas. And that's also because composer Deva has not strained himself too much for the re-recording.
So, as the characters exchange dialogue, the drone of the running film reel is the only sound in the background. Again Prasanna Kumar, the dialogue writer, it seems, has hardly exerted himself.
With a wealth of cinema experience in the family, surely the youth could have chosen a better and more formidable launch pad.
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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