Cast: Suriya, Samantha, Nithya Menen, Girish Karnard, Ajay and Saranya
Director: Vikram Kumar
After delivering two consecutive blockbusters — Ishq and Manam in Telugu consecutively — director Vikram Kumar’s 24, starring Suriya, released on Friday. There had been a huge buzz around the film and Suriya’s triple role, and we can report both director and actor have delivered the goods. Scientist Shivkumar (Suriya) invents a watch that can send the wearer back and forward in time by 24 hours. He lives in a big laboratory-cum-house with his wife (Nithya Menen) and a small child.
His twin brother Athreya (also Suriya) comes to know about the watch and kills Shivkumar’s wife and tries to kill him too. Shivkumar escapes with his child and boards a train. He then hands over the boy to a woman (Saranya) before he is killed by Athreya who jumps out of the train. The fall sends Athreya into a coma.
Cut to 26 years later. The boy has grown up as Mani (Suriya) and he is a watch mechanic. Athreya wakes up from his coma and comes to know that the watch is with Mani and goes after him.
Kudos to Vikram Kumar for coming up with this story. Though a few scenes resemble Hollywood films such as Edge of Tomorrow, Source Code and Prince of Persia, the time travel theme is relatively new to Indian cinema. And though it’s a sci-fi film, the director has made it believable. The visuals are stunning and the graphics are cutting edge. In fact, the first 20 minutes of the film will simply blow your mind.
When it comes to performance, it is Suriya all the way. Though he plays three roles, Athreya steals the show. All three characters are different and one can see the hard work the actor has put in the roles. Even if 24 can be described as a director’s film, Suriya has taken it to another level. While the romantic thread between Suriya and Samantha drags on a bit, a few of the scenes between them are genuinely hilarious. Nithya Menen plays a graceful cameo. A.R. Rahman’s music and background score is extraordinary.
And though the songs might be a bit slow for the Telugu audience, the visuals are beautiful thanks to some stunning angles from cinematographer S. Thirunavukarasu. The time freeze shots are brilliant, especially the cricket match and the stadium. Among the few letdowns are some unnecessary scenes between Samantha and Suriya. The climax too, is a bit unconvincing.
But overall, 24 is definitely one of the finest sci-fi thrillers made in India in recent years. And while it remains a must watch, the masses might find the subject too complicated. But it’s definitely great for the multiplex crowd.
