He directed, wrote scripts, penned dialogues, produced, then took the big step in acting, and finally did something inevitable composed music. Yes, the man in the limelight is SJ Surya without a doubt. The title of the music itself triggers a lot of hype, “ISAI” is a musical thriller probably the one of its kind and with SJ Surya at the helm, Sathyaraj plays an equivalent role full and foremost with a dawning negative shade, probably the ones we long to see him play. So what is musical about Isai? And what is this musical thriller? Let’s find out.
Music, Love, and more:
A musician is at his best when he has his mind as crystal as water. SJ Surya is Shiva, one of the most wanted musicians in Kollywood and this single line depicts his character in the movie. Add a pinch of chaos and his mind wanders haywire into the lost jungle. There is a single line that Sathyaraj says in the movie; when the horse trots ahead with its blinkers, it just trots ahead. But remove the blinds and see what happens. This is exactly the milieu in which Isai sinks in, and forms a theme with the lead characters.
As a leading musician, Sj Surya takes pride in finding music in little known things like the chirp of a bird, buzz of the bee, nature’s best rhythm’s and that’s how he finds a place on the top. With age getting the better out of him, without variety and innovation Sathyaraj plays a yester year musician who blames the rise of SJ Surya to be his downfall. Through the first half the character of Shiva essayed by SJ Surya surfaces as the jolly good musician who falls heads over heels on Jenny a chirpy villager, and as usual the double meaning dialogues and oomph is there as a signature effect of the director. Glamour and Love are two important aspects in SJ Surya and as usual he does not let his fans down by putting enough steamy scenes before romance bubbles out.
And there is the psychotic Sathyaraj who seethes at the mere mention of the word Shiva and scavenges a devilish plot to wreck his music career. The role of Sathyaraj is etched out pretty hardcore, as a man who simply doesn’t want to murder but gets deep inside their mind and break it. The negative shade that he presumes is rather stunning and no words to laud his acting. The second half races gets the audience hooked with enough twists and turns before finishing off to a climax that makes you scratch your heads, well not in the wrong way though.
The Positives:
Three things to be precise; the script, twists, power packed performances. SJ Surya comes back after a long hiatus to shell out a stellar performance in directing, screenplay and acting. He dwells into the character with ease and puts up a fine show especially through the second half. But it’s Sathyaraj who steals the limelight, with his usual “Nayyandinakkal”, sinister cracks; the man is a magician when you put him in a villainous role, just WOW! The talk between him and KanjaKaruppu is sure to be remembered for a long time to come. Sulagna explodes with glamour, and does not let you down when it comes to acting too, a new find here. Cinematography from Soundarajan deserves a special mention; he captures the true essence of the director’s intention.
The Negatives:
1. Too often do the directors succumb to the length of the movie, they take too much time in building up the characterization that by the time you realize its already 190 minutes.
2. Music is a big letdown, for a movie titled as “Isai” the movie surely misses the Holygrail of its plot even though the BGM offers some solace.
Minus these negatives, Isai is a grand comeback for SJ Surya without a doubt. Sathyaraj’s role thumps the movie home.
Verdict : Hooks you to the end
Rating : 3.0/5
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