REVIEW: NETRIKANN (Tamil)

Producer-Vignesh Shivan

Director- A. Milind Rau

Star Cast-Nayanthara, Ajmal Ameer,Sachin Nachiyappan, Manikandan and Sharan Shakti

Genre- Thriller

OTT Platform-Disney Plus Hotstar

Taut Thriller!

Rating-***1/2

Jyothi Venkatesh

This taut and thrilling edge of the seat remake of the 2011 Korean film Blind, Netrikan is a tense thriller that keeps us on the edge of our seats for the most part.

The film begins with Durga (Nayanthara), a CID officer from the Crime Branch who nails the physicality of the character) to the T, who loses her younger brother (Sacchin Nachiappan) due to a freak accident, which also leaves her vision-less.

However, post-accident, Durga adapts herself to the lifestyle of a visually challenged by learning Braille and self-developed survival skills.

However, without wallowing in self-pity, Durga learns to survive on her own despite her disability.

The biggest test comes when she has to track down a psychopath doctor (Ajmal Ameer), who kidnaps and tortures women for kinks, and has started fancying her as a potential victim of his too.

What I liked the best about this engaging film which has been deftly directed by Milind Rao is that there is absolutely no spoon feeding at all.

Contrary to your expectations, there is no flashback, showing Durga preparing for her training, as a sharpshooter, or romping home with the coveted President medal, saluting the flag etc.

You are also spared a romantic duet by Naanthara because she is shown as someone without any baggage.

You get intrigued by the proceedings so much so that you even forget that you are watching a film with a running time of over two and a half hours.

I started watching this film at midnight and it was almost 2.30 am when I went to sleep. And believe me or not, I did not get bored at all.

The film is largely engaging mainly due to the brilliant characterization of Nayanthara, who literally lives though her blind role with adeptness and powerful performance.

Be it subtle humor, emotionally demanding scenes, action, and mass sequences, Nayanthara does not go overboard for even a minute with her elegant and arresting screen presence.

Though Ajmal Ameer as Dr James Dinan tries his best to inject life into the character of a sadist doctor who is obsessed with women of all ages and appears villainous, the less said about the flashback scenes involving his past, the better.

Manikandan as cop Manikandan who is desperate to make an impression on his seniors, adds color to the dimension of the role by etching his character with his own inevitable and extraordinary spirit. Sharan Shakti is just about passable

As far as the credits for the technical side is concerned, RD Rajasekar's cinematography suits to the T the crime thriller genre, especially during the night shots and rainy scenes.

Editor Lawrence Kishore has tried his best to package the film within an engaging format, while mention must be certainly made of the music composer Girrishh Gopalakrishnan who shines both in background score as well as the compositions.