Aaragan Movie Review: A fantasy thriller lost in its own plot
Aaragan Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.0 stars, click to give your rating/review,Aaragan is a confusing film. The story itself is rather convoluted, and you often find yourself wond
Critic's Rating: 2.0/5
Aaragan Movie Synopsis:
Aaragan Movie Review: Aaragan begins with an animated sequence showing Ilanthiraiyan, a young hero who dies saving a saint from snakebite, earning a powerful boon as a reward.
In the present, we meet Saravanan (Michael Thangaraj) and Magizhini Nila (Kavipriya), lovers planning their future. Magizhini takes a job caring for an elderly woman, Valarmathi (Sri Ranjani), at a remote hill station, hoping to fund Saravanan’s business dream. Before leaving, the two share a passionate night together. Once at the hill station, Magizhini finds herself isolated, with no phone signal and mounting unease, especially as she discovers she’s pregnant. Adding to the strangeness, she is haunted by nightmares, and we glimpse a chained, pregnant older woman (Kalai Rani) hidden away in the dilapidated house. It’s soon revealed that Saravanan is actually Ilanthiraiyan, kept eternally young by the saint’s boon. To maintain his youth, he must perform grotesque rituals, draining life from pregnant young women. The tension in the film reaches its highest point when Magizhini discovers the truth Saravanan has been keeping from her.
Aaragan is a confusing film. The story itself is rather convoluted, and you often find yourself wondering where it’s all headed. It doesn’t help that the soundtrack frequently overlaps with the dialogue, making it difficult to catch what’s being conveyed. There’s a kind of cutesy romance between the couple in the first half, but it's just a ploy to set up the rest of the plot.
The leads, Michael Thangadurai and Kavipriya, have good chemistry initially. Kavipriya delivers a sincere performance, especially in her more vulnerable moments. Michael’s portrayal of Saravanan, while menacing, feels disjointed, partly due to the characterisation. Sri Ranjani is adequate, but Kalai Rani goes overboard.
Director Arun KR seems to have had an interesting concept in mind — a blend of romance, thriller, and supernatural horror. The screenplay meanders without cohesiveness. You can see what he’s getting at with the secluded atmosphere and occult elements. It might be too obscure for people to understand.
Written By: Abhinav Subramanian
Aaragan Movie Review: Aaragan begins with an animated sequence showing Ilanthiraiyan, a young hero who dies saving a saint from snakebite, earning a powerful boon as a reward.
In the present, we meet Saravanan (Michael Thangaraj) and Magizhini Nila (Kavipriya), lovers planning their future. Magizhini takes a job caring for an elderly woman, Valarmathi (Sri Ranjani), at a remote hill station, hoping to fund Saravanan’s business dream. Before leaving, the two share a passionate night together. Once at the hill station, Magizhini finds herself isolated, with no phone signal and mounting unease, especially as she discovers she’s pregnant. Adding to the strangeness, she is haunted by nightmares, and we glimpse a chained, pregnant older woman (Kalai Rani) hidden away in the dilapidated house. It’s soon revealed that Saravanan is actually Ilanthiraiyan, kept eternally young by the saint’s boon. To maintain his youth, he must perform grotesque rituals, draining life from pregnant young women. The tension in the film reaches its highest point when Magizhini discovers the truth Saravanan has been keeping from her.
Aaragan is a confusing film. The story itself is rather convoluted, and you often find yourself wondering where it’s all headed. It doesn’t help that the soundtrack frequently overlaps with the dialogue, making it difficult to catch what’s being conveyed. There’s a kind of cutesy romance between the couple in the first half, but it's just a ploy to set up the rest of the plot.
The leads, Michael Thangadurai and Kavipriya, have good chemistry initially. Kavipriya delivers a sincere performance, especially in her more vulnerable moments. Michael’s portrayal of Saravanan, while menacing, feels disjointed, partly due to the characterisation. Sri Ranjani is adequate, but Kalai Rani goes overboard.
Director Arun KR seems to have had an interesting concept in mind — a blend of romance, thriller, and supernatural horror. The screenplay meanders without cohesiveness. You can see what he’s getting at with the secluded atmosphere and occult elements. It might be too obscure for people to understand.
Written By: Abhinav Subramanian
