'Indrasena', starring Vijay Antony, Diana Champika, Kaali Venkat, Radha Rai and others, hits the screens this Thursday.  Here is our review.

Story:

Indrasena (Vijay Antony) is addicted to alcohol after the death of his lover Elizabeth.  Although a drunkard, he is good at heart and wins over the heart of a victim of molestation when he saves her.  In the first 15 minutes of the film itself, Indrasena's broadmindedness and guts are established.

Rudrasena (Vijay, again) is a physical trainer working in a school.  This responsible twin of Indrasena is a total contrast.  He is wooed by Revathi (Diana Champika), a fellow PT professional.

Indrasena's waywardly ways hurt his parents like hell.  Thanks to some fortuitous incidents, a change of heart happens.  Indrasena decides to quit drinking and turn a new leaf.  This is when fate has other plans for him.

At interval, the drama takes a dramatic 7-year leap.  In an unexpected, shocking turn of events, Rudrasena is no more the person he was seven years ago.

Analysis:

We have seen a number of Tamil films that appeal to the audience's finer tastes by telling the stories of sacrifice, etc.  In 'Indrasena', you find one brother going to any extent for his friend.  The same brother can also go to any extent for his brother.  That makes for a good story line and not necessarily an engaging film.

Director G Srinivasan's attempt to give a decent family drama mixed with some action elements fares to an extent. The film has its moments with an interesting interval block; it's almost like Dhanush's 'Kodi' ('Dharma Yogi' in Telugu) but only with that sibling reference. Action choreography is fairly good.

With Indrasena, Vijay Antony has taken a step further in technicality by editing the film too, which has rather come decently.

While watching the film, only one thing is for sure.  The director will take a leap of faith with respect to this or that character, but never with respect to the ambiance and the situations the film is set in.  So, a no-nonsense PT teacher may become someone all of a sudden, but a broken family won't patch-up on a remarkable day.  It may take years for them to smile.  Or they may never smile at all!

The character arc of Indransena is credible, but that of Rudrasena is not.  The story works its way towards Indrasena's alcoholic, lazy lifestyle; his lifestyle starts to affect the entire family. The brief and not-so-melodramatic mother-son sentiment is surely welcome.

On the other hand, Rudrasena's character, which is largely understated until the second half, is more cinematic and far removed from the realistic props of the film, in the later parts.

There are two main villains.  But neither of them is there till the end.  Curiously, the cops are taken too seriously.  It may be realistic, but the scripting rules seem to have gone for a toss here.

Also, Radharavi's lines like 'Nayakudi kosam kottadu ante vadu anucharudu. Nayakudine kottadu ante vade nayakudu" sound routine.

As for the rom-com track, it's again largely on the beaten path.  'Raave, pove ani maryadaga matlade manishi.. ipudu andi, randi ani thidutunnadu," the heroine complains about her lover in a comic way.  Rudrasena complains to the heroine's dad about her eminent naughtiness. Ah! That Kollywoodish humour, where the heroine is sometimes a step ahead of the hero in romantic issues.  In another scene, a lover girl tells Indrasena: "The only negative in you is that you are a drunkard." Ah! That Kollywoodish broad-mindedness, you might want to say.

Vijay Antony gets to play two roles that put him at ease.  But for the 'EMI la nuve vachi' song, the numbers are largely narration-oriented, something that helps the hero to avoid the pitfalls of colorful heroism.  The actor is a specialist when it comes to playing an underdog-turned-fiery element.  Kaali Venkat as Indrasena's financially-distressed friend puts up a good show.  The one who plays Kotayya, Radharavi, Diana Champika, Jewel Mary, Mahima and others do an okayish job.

Vijay Antony's background music is a plus.  Dillraj's cinematography is OK, while the editing is good.

Verdict:

'Indrasena' is the story of two brothers of contrasting characters who live their life as fate plays a big part in their lives. Vijay Antony’s subtle yet worthwhile acting is the key highlight.  The slow narration underwhelms.

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