Beginning - A novel attempt with a strong message

'Beginning' arrives in theaters today carrying the tag "Asia's first split screen movie".  The innovative attempt to show the audiences two different sequences occurring at the same time simultaneously is the USP.   The writing is very important in such films as an engaging screenplay should be woven around the unique idea.  Let's see if debutant director Jagan Vijaya has pulled it off.

Balasubramaniam (Vinoth Kishan) is a mentally challenged man who has an IQ of a child. His mother Arputham (Rohini) who treats him lovingly locks him up in the house when she goes out for her job, leaving only a landline phone with him.  On the other side of the screen Chandru (Sachin) kidnaps a young girl Nithya (Gouri G Kishan) with the help of his two friends and keeps her a hostage in a house.   The mundane life of Balasubramaniam is shown along with the struggles of Nithya to escape from the ruthless men.  Things turn interesting when Nithya finds an old cellphone and her call reaches the childlike man.  Can he with his low level of understanding save the girl or not is what 'Beginning' is all about on the surface but carries a deeper message.

Vinoth Kishan initially gives the impression of hamming it up and takes time to get into the skin of the character as the film progresses.  His performance in the climax though is very impressive.  Similarly Gouri G Kishan also does not convince the audience that she is in any sort of danger in the beginning. But post the interval when a very unfortunate fate befalls her, the performance picks up and soars.  Sachin as the evil Chandru is effective in his subdued villainy while the two actors who play his henchmen are also adequate. Rohini brings her vast experience to yet another small but impactful role.  Lagubaran appears in an important role that helps elevate Vinoth Kishan's character to a higher level.

What works best in 'Beginning' is the climactic sequence when the unlikely character of Balasubramaniam saves Nithya without actually saving her in a physical sense.  The message that is delivered hits hard and the parallels drawn between Nithya and Rohini's character hints at a strong writing that is sadly missing in other parts.  The growing bonding between the two strangers forms the essence of the entire story which is convincingly told. There are a few genuine comedy scenes such as Vinoth Kishan drawing a margin before taking down a phone number in a serious situation.

On the downside it takes too long for the screenplay to arrive at the point it makes.  The first half does not move organically and it seems as if the actors are robotically performing on cue.

Music director K.S. Sundaramurthy's background score, Veerakumar's cinematography and C.S. Premkumar's editing and K.V. Murugamani's art direction have all worked together in bringing the writer-director's vision to the screens.  N. Linguswamy's Thirrupathi Brothers has once again opted to give Tamil audiences a novel film.  Writer-director Jagan Vijaya deserves praise for the strong themes and messages that standout above the novelty factor. 

Verdict : Give this rare attempt a watch for its strong and relevant messages