Aghathiyaa Movie Review: Good enough to forgive its excesses
Aghathiyaa Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.0 stars, click to give your rating/review,The film reaches its visual zenith in the climactic showdown between Siddha and Duplex—a ten-minute
Critic's Rating: 3.0/5
Aghathiyaa Movie Synopsis: An antique piano in a converted theme house opens a portal to pre-independence India, revealing a battle between a brilliant Siddha practitioner and a ruthless colonial administrator.
Aghathiyaa Movie Review: In Aghathiyaa, director Pa. Vijay serves up a curious cocktail of haunted houses, colonial villains, and magical medicine that proves both perplexing and oddly intoxicating. Demanding a suspension of disbelief that would make gravity jealous, the film throws historical drama and fantasy into a blender with audacity, if not precision. It wobbles on a tightrope, occasionally slipping but never quite falling into the abyss of absurdity below.
The narrative unfolds across two timelines. In the present, Aghathiyaa (Jiiva), an art director abandoned mid-production by his financier, transforms his elaborate set into a spooky theme house to recover his investment. When his girlfriend Veena (Raashi Khanna) plays a dusty antique piano found on the premises, supernatural occurrences begin. Through visions, an old film reel, and a recorder, Aghathiyaa discovers the building's past in 1940s Pondicherry under French colonial rule.
In this earlier timeline, Siddharthan (Arjun Sarja), a gifted Siddha medicine practitioner, is summoned to treat Matylda (Jacqueline), the quadriplegic sister of the tyrannical colonial administrator Edwin Duplex (Edward Sonnenblick). Described as "what Hitler is to Germany, Duplex is to Pondicherry," the administrator reluctantly allows Siddharthan to demonstrate his healing powers. Within a day, the Siddha doctor enables the previously immobile Matylda to feed herself, establishing his extraordinary abilities.
As Aghathiyaa learns more about the connection between Siddharthan and the house—now his haunted attraction—he discovers that the ancient healer might hold the cure for his mother's cancer. This revelation sets up a spectral confrontation between the spirits of Siddharthan and Duplex, with Aghathiyaa himself drawn into their otherworldly battle.
Jiiva continues his streak of timeline-hopping roles (following ) with sincere commitment, bringing vulnerability and determination to his character. Arjun Sarja, however, commands attention whenever he appears on screen. He carries a magnetic confidence that helps sell even the more fantastical aspects of the character—a man apparently capable of out-thinking Einstein and curing terminal illnesses through sheer willpower.
The production values shine, particularly in the visual effects department. Unlike many Tamil films where VFX feels tacked on, here the effects serve the story's supernatural elements. However, the film stumbles in its editing, with choppy transitions and confusing shifts between reality and trance states. Several musical numbers feel superfluous.
One persistent issue in Kollywood productions—the awkward integration of Western characters and English dialogue—remains evident here. Despite Edward Sonnenblick's capable performance, these interactions often feel stilted, plagued by exaggerated accents and unnatural exchanges.
The film reaches its visual zenith in the climactic showdown between Siddha and Duplex—a ten-minute plus spectacle of motion-capture animation and 3D effects that impresses despite the increasingly outlandish plot developments. It's during this sequence that Aghathiyaa fully embraces its fantasy aspirations. It may not always make sense, but it doesn’t fail to entertain.
Written By: Abhinav Subramanian
Aghathiyaa Movie Review: In Aghathiyaa, director Pa. Vijay serves up a curious cocktail of haunted houses, colonial villains, and magical medicine that proves both perplexing and oddly intoxicating. Demanding a suspension of disbelief that would make gravity jealous, the film throws historical drama and fantasy into a blender with audacity, if not precision. It wobbles on a tightrope, occasionally slipping but never quite falling into the abyss of absurdity below.
The narrative unfolds across two timelines. In the present, Aghathiyaa (Jiiva), an art director abandoned mid-production by his financier, transforms his elaborate set into a spooky theme house to recover his investment. When his girlfriend Veena (Raashi Khanna) plays a dusty antique piano found on the premises, supernatural occurrences begin. Through visions, an old film reel, and a recorder, Aghathiyaa discovers the building's past in 1940s Pondicherry under French colonial rule.
In this earlier timeline, Siddharthan (Arjun Sarja), a gifted Siddha medicine practitioner, is summoned to treat Matylda (Jacqueline), the quadriplegic sister of the tyrannical colonial administrator Edwin Duplex (Edward Sonnenblick). Described as "what Hitler is to Germany, Duplex is to Pondicherry," the administrator reluctantly allows Siddharthan to demonstrate his healing powers. Within a day, the Siddha doctor enables the previously immobile Matylda to feed herself, establishing his extraordinary abilities.
As Aghathiyaa learns more about the connection between Siddharthan and the house—now his haunted attraction—he discovers that the ancient healer might hold the cure for his mother's cancer. This revelation sets up a spectral confrontation between the spirits of Siddharthan and Duplex, with Aghathiyaa himself drawn into their otherworldly battle.
Jiiva continues his streak of timeline-hopping roles (following ) with sincere commitment, bringing vulnerability and determination to his character. Arjun Sarja, however, commands attention whenever he appears on screen. He carries a magnetic confidence that helps sell even the more fantastical aspects of the character—a man apparently capable of out-thinking Einstein and curing terminal illnesses through sheer willpower.
The production values shine, particularly in the visual effects department. Unlike many Tamil films where VFX feels tacked on, here the effects serve the story's supernatural elements. However, the film stumbles in its editing, with choppy transitions and confusing shifts between reality and trance states. Several musical numbers feel superfluous.
One persistent issue in Kollywood productions—the awkward integration of Western characters and English dialogue—remains evident here. Despite Edward Sonnenblick's capable performance, these interactions often feel stilted, plagued by exaggerated accents and unnatural exchanges.
The film reaches its visual zenith in the climactic showdown between Siddha and Duplex—a ten-minute plus spectacle of motion-capture animation and 3D effects that impresses despite the increasingly outlandish plot developments. It's during this sequence that Aghathiyaa fully embraces its fantasy aspirations. It may not always make sense, but it doesn’t fail to entertain.
Written By: Abhinav Subramanian
