NGK movie review: A raw deal that could use some refinement

Director: Selvaraghavan

Cast: Suriya, Rakul Preet Singh, Sai Pallavi

When an intense filmmaker like Selvaraghavan and a powerhouse performer like Suriya collaborate for a political thriller, people expect fireworks and intensity. In an earlier interview to me, Selva called the film as S2 (S Square), but NGK is neither a Suriya film nor a Selva flick, thus disappointing the fans of both.

Set in Srivilliputhur, Nandha Gopalan Kumaran aka NGK (Suriya) is an M Tech graduate who quits his cushy job to take up organic farming in his village. His friends also join him in his endeavor. Being a do-gooder, NGK is popular in the neighborhood.  He leads a happy life with his wife Geetha (Sai Pallavi) who supports him in his efforts and mother (Uma Padmanabhan) and dad (Nizhalgal Ravi), a retired senior army officer. However, things take a turn when NGK’s work irks the local middlemen and politicians. NGK refuses to give up organic farming, and this in turn lets loose the flood gates.

Frustrated and in despair, NGK decides to enter politics as politicians command much more authority than civil servants. He wants to clean up the system and bring lasting change to society. The rest is all about NGK’s journey from grassroots level (doing all sorts of dirty jobs including cleaning the toilet of an MLA, played by actor Ilavarsu) to a powerful man in his party and also a threat to the ruling party. Of course, playing with great power brings personal dangers and how he handles familial loss also forms the crux of his character. There’s also a side story with Vanathi (Rakul Preet Singh) a high-profile political PR strategist with whom NGK enters into an extra marital affair!   

 

Suriya with his amazing screen presence and alluring performance replete with two macho stunt sequences and humor scenes carries the entire film on his shoulder. And Selva known for writing strong female characters upset the balance here. Most of the time Sai Pallavi stands in the frame as an atmosphere artiste and gives an exaggerated performance. Rakul Preet in a role with slightly negative shades is adequate. And the rest of the characters including Ilavarasu, Ponvannan and Devaraj look like caricatures. A lot has been said on the big screen about social media and its influence in electoral politics, with film LKG being a solid example of that.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s songs are just functional but the background score goes well with the proceedings.