Nirangal Moondru Movie Review: Three-way character study promises more than it delivers
Nirangal Moondru Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your rating/review,Nirangal Moondru is an interesting movie, but the human nature aspect of it could have been more pow
Critic's Rating: 2.5/5
Nirangal Moondru Movie Synopsis: Three people, three colors. The film follows three individuals with chance events that take place on a shady night. Through happenstance, the different facets of these men come out as key people in their lives confront them.
Nirangal Moondru Movie Review: Karthick Naren’s Nirangal Moondru gives off that smart, tight plot vibe from the first scene. It’s like, “don’t judge a book by its cover” kind of film. A teacher Vasanth (Rahman) who everyone loves turns out to have a dark side, while this tough cop Selvam (Sarath Kumar) who’s always bribing people overcompensates by being a great parent. His son, Vetri (Atharvaa) is an aspiring filmmaker and your typical 20s-something bachelor. It all starts when Shree, Vasanth’s student, sees his girl, Parvathy (Ammu Abirami), get pulled into a van. He and his two friends follow the trail, and that sets in motion the three shades of human nature: the good, the bad, and those who display both good and bad qualities.
The dynamics of the relationship are as such: Vasanth is a teacher who helped his student Shree with his family issues. Shree has feelings for Parvathy, but hasn’t really confessed. He sees Parvathy apparently being abducted into a Van with “The God Father” sticker, and decides to track her down. Meanwhile, Vetri, the struggling filmmaker, has a drug problem. When his script gets jacked, he freaks out and overdoses on LSD. He’s tripping all night. You see most of the movie through his messed-up, drugged-out mind. His dad, Selvam, is a tough cop, but he’s also crooked. He takes bribes from anyone who pays. He’s like a mobster who tries to make up for being a bad guy by being a good dad. Vasanth’s searching for his missing daughter, Selva’s out to teach a minister’s son a lesson, and Vetri’s freaking out over the script. Their stories meet, and the film digs into their hidden sides.
Nirangal Moondru exhibits a degree of cleverness but lacks genuine insight. It looks good and you hope the build-up is smooth and exciting. Past a certain point, the depth disappears and it becomes predictable. Parts like Vetri’s drug trip go on forever. Like, yes, he’s tripping, but do we need to see him going on and on about nothing? Likewise, Selva messing with a minister is rather plain - it’s like those typical tropes you see play out in Tamil films.
On the plus, the film’s really well made, and it has a great atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re in the movie from the beginning. Even though they only filmed in a few spots, the lighting and camerawork were superb. The soundtrack only includes incidental music for the characters, no extra songs that pull you away. It’s also well acted with some bits of smart dialogues that make you think.
On that front, it’s a joint effort between Atharvaa, Rahman, and to some extent, Sarath Kumar, Shree and his two buddies. Atharvaa’s got that whole 20s bachelor thing down, but his range is limited because he’s high the whole time. Rahman hides his bad side really well while acting like a perfect teacher. There’s some good chemistry between the students.
Nirangal Moondru is an interesting movie, but the human nature aspect of it could have been more powerful if they showed it through natural progression, rather than an abrupt shift in the latter portions. It should dawn on the viewers, not feel like theories are being thrown at them.
Written By: Abhinav Subramanian
Nirangal Moondru Movie Review: Karthick Naren’s Nirangal Moondru gives off that smart, tight plot vibe from the first scene. It’s like, “don’t judge a book by its cover” kind of film. A teacher Vasanth (Rahman) who everyone loves turns out to have a dark side, while this tough cop Selvam (Sarath Kumar) who’s always bribing people overcompensates by being a great parent. His son, Vetri (Atharvaa) is an aspiring filmmaker and your typical 20s-something bachelor. It all starts when Shree, Vasanth’s student, sees his girl, Parvathy (Ammu Abirami), get pulled into a van. He and his two friends follow the trail, and that sets in motion the three shades of human nature: the good, the bad, and those who display both good and bad qualities.
The dynamics of the relationship are as such: Vasanth is a teacher who helped his student Shree with his family issues. Shree has feelings for Parvathy, but hasn’t really confessed. He sees Parvathy apparently being abducted into a Van with “The God Father” sticker, and decides to track her down. Meanwhile, Vetri, the struggling filmmaker, has a drug problem. When his script gets jacked, he freaks out and overdoses on LSD. He’s tripping all night. You see most of the movie through his messed-up, drugged-out mind. His dad, Selvam, is a tough cop, but he’s also crooked. He takes bribes from anyone who pays. He’s like a mobster who tries to make up for being a bad guy by being a good dad. Vasanth’s searching for his missing daughter, Selva’s out to teach a minister’s son a lesson, and Vetri’s freaking out over the script. Their stories meet, and the film digs into their hidden sides.
Nirangal Moondru exhibits a degree of cleverness but lacks genuine insight. It looks good and you hope the build-up is smooth and exciting. Past a certain point, the depth disappears and it becomes predictable. Parts like Vetri’s drug trip go on forever. Like, yes, he’s tripping, but do we need to see him going on and on about nothing? Likewise, Selva messing with a minister is rather plain - it’s like those typical tropes you see play out in Tamil films.
On the plus, the film’s really well made, and it has a great atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re in the movie from the beginning. Even though they only filmed in a few spots, the lighting and camerawork were superb. The soundtrack only includes incidental music for the characters, no extra songs that pull you away. It’s also well acted with some bits of smart dialogues that make you think.
On that front, it’s a joint effort between Atharvaa, Rahman, and to some extent, Sarath Kumar, Shree and his two buddies. Atharvaa’s got that whole 20s bachelor thing down, but his range is limited because he’s high the whole time. Rahman hides his bad side really well while acting like a perfect teacher. There’s some good chemistry between the students.
Nirangal Moondru is an interesting movie, but the human nature aspect of it could have been more powerful if they showed it through natural progression, rather than an abrupt shift in the latter portions. It should dawn on the viewers, not feel like theories are being thrown at them.
Written By: Abhinav Subramanian
