After filming for nearly two years, Cinematographer Ravi K Chandran's Yaan featuring Jiiva and Thulasi Nair in the lead had finally hit theaters today. It is worth mentioning that the film is one of the most expected films of the year not only for the audiences but also for Jiiva and Thulasi Nair as well for Yaan is considered as a comeback for Jiiva especially as this is his solo hero film after the fall of Mugamoodi. Another important point to note is this is the second venture of Thulasi Nair after Kadal. Above all, this is Ravi K Chandran's first film as a director who is all flinging himself in this action thriller.

Story

The film opens to a gripping and intriguing opening and the introduction of the lead characters is nothing but simply thrilling. Chandru (Jiiva) comes across Sreela (Thulasi) and is swept of his feet by her beauty. At first Thulasi avoids him but eventually she falls in love with him and the two turns out to be a good couple. However, owing to the conditions of this work, Jiiva is forced to leave to Basilistan. Over there he is convicted for carrying drugs, a crime he did not commit and was not even aware of. He receives the maximum punishment, beheading. How he manages to prove his innocence and returns home forms the crux of Yaan.

Performance

Jiiva plays his role at perfect ease both in a carefree chap and action packed hero. Thulasi is both beautiful and confident looking. Nasser comes as Thulasi's dad who is a strict and retired army man and as usual does perfect what is offered to him. On the other hand, Jayaprakash also does a good job as a cop and Nasser’s friend is okay. The opening sequence portrays him as a hero and suddenly his characterisation gets diminished. Thambi Ramaiah as a Tamil prisoner in Basilistan is ridiculous and Karunakaran is good.

Plus

Cinematography by Manush Nandan is extraordinary and he even surpasses the earlier works of Ravi K Chandran. CG works in many places, especially the opening action sequences are done with exotically fantabulous panache. Karunakaran appears in three or four scenes, but compared to other actors, he is fine. As we say, a best actor might appear for 10 seconds on screens and yet register a great memory among audiences and Karuna is an illustration.

Minus

The onscreen chemistry between Jiiva and Tulasi is so much disappointing and even youth audiences wouldn’t like it. There is something that lacks between them. As mentioned earlier, Jiiva is good in this role, but sorry to say! He is capable of performing some roles that even senior actors of industry are not able to. We put forth a humble request for him to choose some unique roles and scripts. Although Tulasi is confident, she has to work more on her looks and performance if she plans to continue her long journey in Kollywood. It is sickening to see that many filmmakers are showcasing their fraud acts of illegally remaking foreign films and this is a direct lift from ‘Midnight Express’.

Both first half and second half is so boring and there is a dearth of interesting moments. The songs by Harris Jayaraj are disappointing, except ‘Aathangara Orathil’. It’s really a letdown why Harris Jayaraj doesn’t come out of his usual paradigm in both songs and background score, trying something unique.

On the whole, ‘Yaan’ might be regarded a visually stunning film, but rest of the factors in technical and narrative aspects are so disappointing. Ravi K Chandran is a prominent cinematography enlightening us with new colours and visuals, but as a filmmaker he has let us down.

Verdict : Yaan – 100% Yawn guarantee

Stars : 1.5/5