Adanga Maru movie review: An engaging thriller worth a watch
Director: Karthik Thangavel
Cast: Jayam Ravi, Raashi Khanna, Sampath Raj, Mime Gopi
It is not the first time that Jayam Ravi has donned Khaki. But what’s different in the revenge thriller Adanga Maru, where he plays a sub inspector who is forced to ‘obey the orders’ from superiors, is that he quits his cop job so that he ‘need not obey the orders’ and can discharge his duties independently.
Subhash (Jayam Ravi) is a sensible cop who is an IPS aspirant. His life revolves around his family comprising of his dad and mom (Ponvannan and Sriranjini), and his twin nieces. In the very first opening scene where students protest to remove the tasmac shop from the college neighborhood, we get to know about Subhash that he is a no nonsense cop who wants to help people rather than intimidate them. However, his hands are tied and he cannot do anything on his own accord.
One day, Subhash and his team go to investigate the mysterious death of a girl and though he feels that there’s some foul play in her demise, his higher-up Muthukaruppan (Mime Gopi) orders him to close the case as suicide. However, Subhash starts his own enquiry and finds out that four guys from affluent families are involved in the case and that they have raped and murdered the innocent girl. And they are repeat offenders with many girls being trapped.
He manages to nab the four boys only to be relieved on instructions from Joint Commissioner Sarangan (Sampath Raj). He is also suspended and returns home to find out that his family is wiped out by the detractors. The reminder is all about how the tech savvy Subhash goes into revenge mode and kills the youngsters after challenging his superiors.
It’s Jayam Ravi all the way and with his macho looks he aces his character. He is convincing be it his fiery high-octane stunt sequences or the emotional scenes. Especially, Ravi creates a great impact in the interrogation scene with Sampath. Raashi Khanna as Ravi’s fiancée gives a matured performance in a small yet significant role. Others like Muniskanth and Azhagam Perumal as the good cops and Sampath Raj, Mime Gopi play their part well.
There’s nothing new by way of story in the revenge saga. Ravi as such does not have powerful villains. What works in the movie’s favor are the brilliant packaging by debutant Karthik Thangavel and the pace with which he narrates the story. The speedy screenplay never allows you to think about the logical loopholes in the movie. The director has also penned some hard-hitting dialogues against sexual crimes on women. Sam CS’s theme music warrants mention. Sathyan Soorian’s cinematography is praiseworthy. Overall, an engaging thriller worth a watch.