Very rarely we do come across such engrossing and engaging entertainer on Tamil screen. Anjathey, director Mysskin's second venture can be considered among the outstanding entertainers that have come out in recent times.
Anjathey is all about two friends, whose roles in the life are swapped in a sudden change of fortunes. Sathyanathan (Narain) and Krupakaran (Ajmal) are sons of police constables living in a police colony. They remain close friends despite having divergent attitudes. Krupa wants to become a sub inspector and works meticulously to get selected. Aimless Sathya, a street rowdy, is always humiliated by his father (M.S. Bhaskar) because of his irresponsible attitude.
Narain, provoked by the constant humiliation, decides to compete for SI selection. The rest of the story is about the drastic changes in their lives and how they deal with them.
You have a third track in the tale featuring the ruthless criminal gang led by Velu (Pandiyarajan) and Daya (Prasanna). The enthralling hunt of the police in search of the dreaded criminals and the emotional story of the two friends are entwined with each other to provide us a gripping movie.
Mysskin has made the film with style and substance. His execution of the film is smart and effective. He has executed many scenes well. The second kidnapping incident is one such scene. The emotion of the father of the victimized girl is moving. The director has made the scene multi dimensional by putting together the emotion of the father and daughter, the guilty feelings of Kripa, and the determined hunt of the police force.
That you never get bored despite the length (3 hours and 10 minutes) is a testimony to the talent of the director. The length of the climax is the only time when the narrative is dragged.
The initial scene itself is a proof to the talent of the director and the cinematographer (Magesh Muthuswamy). The thugs emerging from the bottom of the horizon in the backdrop of the blue sky is quite effective. The amazing angles keep coming through out the movie. The picturisation in dark is outstanding. Mysskin's penchant for telling you the story by visuals is something unique.
Muthuswamy and Mysskin have superbly shown a whole scene - characters entering and leaving a house - in one long low angle shot. You get to see only the feet of the characters through out the scene. Another long shot at the ending adds depth to the climax and the film.
Sunder C. Babu's tunes are hummable with two songs (Kannadasan Kaaraikkudi and Kathaza Kannala) stand out. His BGM is quite appropriate. His usage of silence in many places is praiseworthy.
Stunt choreography by `Action' Prakash is one of the high points of the movie. The tussles are crisp and effective. The first stunt in the park is effective. The fights in Pandiyarajan's place and the one in climax have been well executed.
Narain is credible as a street rowdy and later a cop. He scores in stunt scenes and flawless in emotional sequences. His reactions in his early days as police officers are interesting.
There is no separate comedy track in the film, but the comedy has been beautifully handled by Narain and the `Kuruvi' character played by 'bomb' Ramesh in the film
Ajmal, the newcomer
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