Junga - Generous in Entertainment

'Idharku Thaaney Aasaipattai Balakumara' is one of the most entertaining cult classics in the past decade and  when  Vijay Sethupathi and Gokul reunited for 'Junga' the expectations have soared sky high.  The duo have worked in tandem to deliver another dark comedy that does succeed in entertaining despite a few gaping shortcomings.

Junga (Vijay Sethupathi) is in police custody and the cops plan to finish him off in an encounter.  On the way he relates the story of his rise as a don to his would be killers and the story begins in the flashback.  Junga after learning from his mother (Saranya) that his father and grandfather lost a movie theater owned by them and is determined to retrieve it.  He arrives in Chennai with his friend Yo Yo (Yogi Babu) and starts taking up assignments for a dead cheap price and he himself turns into a miser.  Soon he rises to the position of a top don  but when he tries to buy back the theater from Chettiar (Suresh Menon) he is ridiculed.  Junga vows to take revenge and for that he goes to Paris to kidnap Yazhini (Sayyeeshaa) the daughter of Chettiar.  Whether he is successful in his mission and whether he escapes from the hands of the encounter cops or not is told in a humorous manner.

Vijay Sethupathi like a chameleon gets under the skin of his characters and here it is no different as every inch of his body expresses the stingy don to perfection.  Comedy is his forte and much like Sumar Moonji Kumar in 'Itharku Thaney...' he has made Junga his own.  He looks dashing in the French costumes and has improved leaps and bounds in the action sequences.  Yogi Babu as the assistant don is a scream and every time he goes hungry due to Junga's miserliness brings the house down.  Watch out for the scene when he is duped by the French translator in admitting a crime.  It is a different role for Saranya and she excels as the mother speaking in Chennai Tamil.  The Don Paatti even outshines  VJS and Yogi especially in the scene in which she raises her voice to Suresh Menon when the odds are on her side and immediately switches to humble when it is against her.   Sayyeshaa looks cute and her dancing abilities are wow but the director could have written a more substantial role for her to make an impression.  Madonna Sebastian appears in a cameo which helps in establishing beyond doubt of the hero's core character. KPY Bala gets a great debut showcasing both his comedy as well as dancing skills.   Radha Ravi, Suresh Menon, Mottai Rajendran and the rest of the French cast are apt.

'Junga' in the very beginning itself sets up its genre and sticks to it till the very end which few films do and thats a plus.  The characterization of the hero and the others are maintained till the very end, like for example Vijay Sethupathi's photographic memory.  Most of the humour is cleverly woven into the screenplay and the dialogues are both natural and effective.  The social conscience of Gokul and VJS is evident in the scenes where they satirize everything from the corporate vs common man issues in Tamil Nadu to the movie theaters selling popcorns at higher rates than the ticket prices.

On the downside the second half fails to keep up the tempo set in the first.  For such a swashbuckling hero the romance should also have been strong but here it is totally non existent.  In many instances it is difficult to understand Vijay Sethupathi's dialogues as he rattles on like an old typewriter.  

Siddharth Vipin's songs have already become hits while his background is apt for the proceedings.  Dudley's camera work is impressive capturing the beauty of Paris especially the aerial shots of the snow covered mountains. However the shots are too wobbly in the action sequences making the head go dizzy.  V.J. Sabu Joseph proves his mettle in giving a smooth flow to the narration and zany cuts in the action.  Vijay Sethupathi Productions has provided the film with high production values making it a feast to the eyes.  Director Gokul like his previous two films has stamped his authority on the dark comedy genre and though he lets one feel that the outcome could have been much better, he scores in entertaining the viewer for the better part of the film.

Verdict : Go for it to enjoy the performances of Vijay Sethupathi and the rest of the cast and the entertainment value.