Annadurai : Tests your patience
Few minutes into the movie, the story establishes characters of Annadurai and Thambidurai, two brothers of contrasting characters. Annadurai is an alcoholic, he cannot be seen without a drink through the first half even as he broods over his lost love. The story works its way towards Annadurai's alcoholic lazy lifestyle, as a man who was previously adored for his generosity; his lifestyle starts to affect the entire family. The touching Mother - Son sentiment is surely one of the highlights of the film. On the other hand is Thambidurai's character which is kept silent until the second half where this character shadows the other. With the story revolving around Annadurai, there is little kept in store for entertainment in terms of comedy and music. The love portions are hardly entertaining and kept on desperate measures, there is some relief in terms of father-daughter sentiment along with a few genuine heartfelt moments, but they die down too easy.
Taking fate as the spine of the story, the director finally brings some relief for the otherwise dull family when Annadurai finally agrees to his marriage' making everyone happy. However the happiness is short lived as fate and alcohol has other plans for him, an unexpected accident puts Annadurai in Jail. On his return He is shocked to see Thambidurai’s shocking avatar. All this happens in the first half, the director keeps the only interesting parts of the film in the second half with an action packed flashback. On one hand is the soft spoken Annadurai and the other is Thambidurai who has undergone a dramatic makeover. How the family sort out internal and external issues forms the rest of the plot.
Srinivasan's attempt to give a decent family drama mixed with some action elements is not all lost affair. The film has its moments with an interesting interval block, its almost like Dhanush's Kodi but only with that sibling reference. Action choreography is top notch, kudos to the stunt directors for putting their hearts out. With Annadurai, Vijay Antony has taken a step further in technicality by editing the film too, which has rather come decently. There are numerous characters in the film, even the heroines do not stand in our head for more than a minute, blame it either on their average performances or the script’s importance to them. Vijay Antony shines throughout, that lazy, sleazy uninterested look yet rising to the occasion is indeed his specialty and Annadurai is no different.
Annadurai's slow narration is definitely the biggest villain, it hurts the screenplay to a great extent. Lack of entertainment or some interesting elements like the interval block gives away the pull factor. The film surely is a clean family entertainer, the sentiments will move you but only if you have the patience.
Verdict : Annadurai is the story of two brothers of contrasting characters who live their life as fate plays a big part in their personalities. With a little patience, Annadurai is a one time watch. Vijay Antony’s subtle yet worthwhile acting is the key highlight.
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