Rebel : A Fairly Engaging drama revolving around student politics

'Rebel', G.V. Prakash's latest outing as hero has garnered decent expectations due to the politically charged trailer.  It remains to be seen if this period political drama finds a place in the heart of the audiences with the Parliamentary elections just round the corner.

'Rebel' is set in the 80s. Kathir (GV Prakash Kumar) is an underprivileged son of estate workers in Munnar.  They and the other villagers are given secondary citizens treatment by the Keralites.  Kathir believes that the only way for him and other Tamil boys to live with dignity is to study well.    He and a group of boys from the poverty stricken village get placement in Palakkad Chittur College.  There two student groups belonging to the  KSQ and SFY,  parties rule and mete out cruelty on the Tamil boys in the guise of ragging. . Meanwhile the only Keralite student who has a soft corner for Kathir is Sarah (Mamitha Baiju) the daughter of an influential politician.  In a shocking twist of fate one of the boys Selvaraj (Aditya Bhaskar) is brutally murdered by Antony (Venkatish) and his fellow students.  Using political influence the murder case is closed as an accident case.  This sad incident sparks a rebellion among Karthir and his fellow Tamil students who decide to float a new party Tamil Students Party and fight the college elections.  The party pits Kathir and Sarah against each other and the very lives of the Tamil boys is at stake.  What happens next is what 'Rebel' is all about.

G.V. Prakash Kumar has given a fiery performance as the ordinary village boy turned leader of his student group.  He is at ease in the romantic scenes with Mamitha as well as the emotional outpouring after the death of his dear friend.  Mamitha Baiju the toast of South Indian fans after the tremendous success of 'Premalu' is utterly charming and effortlessly plays the not so demanding role.   Adithya Bhaskar shines in the role of the sanitary workers son who faces humiliation and death at the hands of the higher class students.  Venkatish manages rise above the cliched character to make his mark while Karunaas, Antony, Kalloori Vinod, Subramanian Siva, Aadhira, Shalu Rahim and the rest of the cast have delivered what is expected of them.

What works best in 'Rebel' is that the screenplay is quite engaging for most parts and the emotional scenes hitting hard.  The brutal murder of Adithya is staged effectively.  There are also a few innovative scenes such as the ploys GVP and his boys use to campaign for their party.

The big let down of 'Rebel' is its uneven pacing and superfluous hero worship shots that stick out like a sore thumb.  The film needed a raw telling throughout but often it departs to the commercial feel that works against it. 

Arun Radhakrishnan's cinematography and Yuvraj's art direction adds credibility to the film. Songs composed by GV Prakash and Sidhukumar and the background score by Ofro are above average except for the jarring theme music. .K.E. Gnanavelraja has bankrolled the project  under Studio Green Banner.  Young debutante Nikesh has attempted to tell an intense political film based on a true story and has succeeded to a certain extent.  If he works on better writing he could well hit the target next time for sure.

Verdict : Go for this fairly engaging political drama that has its moments