Naigal Jakkirathai Review

Almost always, we remain so self-involved that we forget to recall that it wasn't for the joy of leisure that they say that a dog is man's best friend. Raising a pet is almost analogous to taking the pride of being a dog owner. But dogs have a life far more valuable than what meets the eye in the form of how they are groomed or what they eat. Probably this is why they are trained for the army. And this story begins from the border, revolving around one such soldier.

Plot:

In the snow capped mountains, is a canine that faithfully rescues his master's life. But when the master, who is a soldier, ignores this 4-legged master's warning, he gets shot down to death, sending the dog to a pool of tears and loneliness, in addition to a world of post traumatic weakness to the sound gunshots. He is adopted by a kind man back in Coimbatore, but circumstances leave him in the hands of wounded police officer Karthik. At first, they do not even know how to approach one another, but later go on to become a family. Eventually, personal grudge gets the policeman's wife into fatal trouble. How far would the pet Subramani go to guard his master's life?

Picture:

Starting from the pristine white high reaches along the border, the mystic lush of Ooty, to everyday park and residence, and dungeons of nefarious activities, everything falls in clear colours, hues and brightness. Nizar Shafi has been a pro at putting the moving tale in telling detail, with his creative angles and crystal clear picture. The theme of 'En Nenjil' and the gripping moments near climax stand out in clear detail.

Dharan has made an impacting comeback with this film, and his usage of instruments that moves you. The movie, as is known, has only four songs to its album, and none of them are captured as standalone songs. They all blend with the flow of the movie, as though adding extra chapters to the background score. Background of the movie is heavily loaded, but is deserving of Dharan's touch in every frame.

Shakti Soundar Rajan is famous for his talent in 'Naanayam'. It takes expertise to embed thoroughly researched truth, weaving it into fiction, so well that it does not seem mythical, and do that all in relatively brief running time for the amount of content it carries and ensure to glue you to your seat all along; Shakti has got that. While the story is a whole new initiative to make a dog play the protagonist, the screenplay is tremendous and gripping, making the movie a definite watch.

Performance:

There are only two actors that hog the screen with their performance most of the time - Sibiraj as Karthik and Idoh the K9 as Subramani. Being passionate to dogs comes naturally to dog lovers, and given that Sibi owns three, it would have taken him a lot to act as though he is scared of the dog on screen. The bond that the man and animal share seems natural; this makes the story believable, given that it primarily revolves around this bonding. The screen sports Sibi as a chic and fit police officer, perfectly complimenting as a German Shepherd owner. Idoh, on the other hand, is a real hero and actor. Kudos to his trainer and his quick grasping capabilities.

Plusses:

The story itself is a plus, revolving around a dog and his noble life as a man's best friend. A good deal of research seems to have gone into dog training and their usage in the defense force. The film makes good appeal geographically too. In all this, the fiction of the background of crime, possibility of a signalling device multiplies routed, and kidnapping strategies blend believably.

Puzzles:

The film is perfect in almost every aspect. But, there are a few dark patches that have not been ironed out entirely. Presence of villain around the same police station almost all the time is quizzical. How come they land in the correct place of crime with very little clue is less puzzling than the question of why the protagonist was left a note  by the villain. Also, the second half is a fairly predictable story in every frame.

Canines are more than merely four legged animals. They are nearly one among us, and are definitely so, when under a loving master's care. Dogs are endlessly faithful, to the extents we can't even begin to imagine to repay. This movie is certain to make you feel their worth.

Rating: 3 / 5

Verdict: Thoroughbred entertainer for all