Bejoy Nambiar known for his multi - storyline films (in Tamil) such as 'David' and 'Solo' has with 'Por' tried to capture a bloody campus war between two not so likeable lead characters. Whether this drug fueled adrenaline pumping action film give the target audience a high remains to be seen.
Prabhu (Arjun Das) is a drug abusing super senior medical student trying to clear his arrear project. Rishima (Sanchana Natarajan) is a senior and a drug peddler who is his best friend. Prabhu's heart ticks for Gayathri (TJ Bhanu) a student activist who leads all the fights against the establishment. Enter Yuva (Kalidas Jayaram) a charming freshman who has the brawn to faceoff the seniors and the charm to woo the girls including Rishima. It is revealed that there is bad blood between Yuva and Prabhu due to a horrific incident in their childhood for which the former never forgave the latter. Yuva wows to destroy Prabhu and inflict ten times the pain he suffered because of him and starts by befriending Rishima and Gayathri. Meanwhile there is politician's daughter who aims to win the college elections and her men will go to any extent including murder. The culmination of this and other subplots is a bloody climax which brings the two enemies face to face and threaten the lives of all those close to them.
Kalidas Jayaram has outshined the others by his energetic acting bordering on the grey from start to finish. He has exuberated an almost animalistic rawness in his violence as well as swaying the women with his charm. There is also a vulnerable moment where he expresses his true feelings to Sanchana. Arjun Das with his unique baritone superseding his performance has put up a good show as Prabhu. His best scenes are when he shows his soft side to Bhanu. Sanchana Natarajan has grabbed with both hands the meaty role of the shady girl who slowly grows on the audience as a broken but likeable soul. TJ Bhanu takes off from where she left in 'Vaazhl' as a solid performer who lends authenticity to the activist character. The rest of the young actors have all done a neat job.
What works best in 'Por' is the space given for the female characters in such a macho setting. The two pairs of lesbian characters are shown without passing judgement and so is the shifting of affections between some of the others. There is a vibrant energy in the story telling that falters only in a few instances where unnecessary subplots take centerstage such as the Akilan episode. The production design is rich with every frame filled with extras and bustling activity that lends a certain level of authenticity.
What is unacceptable in 'Por' is the depiction of a Pondicherry college as a free flowing drug haven. No effort has been made to show the lead characters realizing the dangers or getting out of the habit. The film wants to make too many statements that only serve in diluting the core plot and the casteist angle clearly seems forced into the mix.
Coming to the technical aspects the biggest plus of 'Por' is the cinematography of Jimshi Khalid & Presley Oscar D'souza relentlessly following every bone crunch as well as vulnerable moments of the characters. Priyank Prem Kumar has edited in such a seamless manner that the film seems to flow in one continuous motion. Bejoy Nambiar has produced the film in association with T-Series leaving no stone unturned to bring his vision on screen. Bejoy Nambiar the director as far as Tamil cinema is concerned has come up with a winner this time. He has not only written a multilayered script but has infused freshness in the telling and making.
Verdict : Go for this engaging campus saga powered by fiery performances taking note of the glorification of substance abuse
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