Amaran Review

'Amaran' - A Fitting Tribute to Major Mukund Varadarajan

'Amaran' is based on the events that happened in the life of martyred Major Mukund Varadarajan from Chennai who died in a clash with terrorists in Kashmir in 2014.  The current heartthrob Sivakarthikeyan playing the lead and Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan producing the film has raised expectations to a very high level.  Lets see in our 'Amaran' review whether the biopic has touched the audiences hearts or not to emerge the Diwali winner..

Coming to the story a young man named Mukund Varadarajan (Sivakarthikeyan) from Tambaram, next to Chennai, joins the 44th Rashtriya Rifles formed for counter-terrorism operations in Kashmir.  He gradually rises to the level of captain and then a major due to his dedication and patriotism.  Mukund is in love with his girlfriend Indu Rebecca a Malayali Christian since age 21 and the film also intercuts to how the couple convince their respective parents and finally get married.   The crux of course is how Mukund bravely leads his team to subdue several terrorists in Kashmir and finally lays down his life in the line of duty after terminating the dreaded terrorist leader Altaf Wani, 

Usually when it comes to 'biopic', the story is known to the audience before the release of the film. And in this era of social media, fans will already have their own versions of  what is really happened in the name of 'decoding' based on the trailer. Beyond that, if a biopic is to be successful, it can only be done with a screenplay that engages the fans. Director Rajkumar Periyasamy has come up with an elegant screenplay that does justice to the plot he has taken up.

The entire first half of the film revolves around the love scenes between Mukund and Indu. They are well written and never go overboard at any point of time.   From Sai Pallavi's introduction scene at the beginning of the film to the scenes where Sivakarthikeyan comes to Sai Pallavi's house in Kerala and pacifies her parents, the 'love' scenes are captivating. In these scenes, one can feel the justification of the film team promoting this as a 'love' film rather than a 'war' related film. The strength of the film is that it not only captures the martyrdom but also of how army life affects the near and dear ones of the soldiers.

It can be safely said that 'Amaran' is a big leap for Sivakarthikeyan in his career having gone to the lengths in preparations for nailing this tough character. Even though he has done some serious roles as an experiment before, the maturity shown in his performance in this one is remarkable. The new evolution he has shown both physically and while emoting has the audience spellbound.  The entire screenplay unfolds in the point of view of Sai Pallavi's character and she has given one of the best female lead performances in recent times.  She hits it out of the park when fighting hard with tears to keep up her promise to her husband.   Bhuvan Arora, Shreekumar, Lallu and the veteran international actor Rahul Bose shine in dignified army men characters.

The major problem in 'Amaran' is that the screenplay seems to be stretched beyond the needs of the story.  There is also no finesse in the love and war scenes alternating on screen.  Some may also complain about the lack of detailing on the terrorists which makes all of them seem the same person.  A few unnecessary, Kamal, Rajini, Ajith, Vijay references seem forced in.   But in spite of that, the last 30 minutes of 'Amaran'  is so emotionally charged that one cannot help but be lost in the martyrdom of the real Mukund Varadarajan through the performance of Sivakarthikeyan. 

As for the technical aspects, G.V. Prakash Kumar makes a strong mark with his songs as well as the background music.  There are several scenes that are elevated by GVP's music.   Satish Krishnan's cinematography conveys a sense of sweet stillness in the romantic scenes and goes berserk with intensity in the action scenes. Anbariv needs to be commended for choreographing the action sequences realistically but at the same time not compromising on the heroics.

Every frame of 'Amaran' reminds the audience of co-producer Kamal Haasan's presence. Director Rajkumar Periyasamy has brilliantly captured the essence of both the personal and the army life of Mukund Varadarajan.    Its a story that needs to be told and is told in the best possible way.

Verdict : Go for this well made biopic that has great performances and emphatic making