24 Tamil Movie
When Suriya is bogged down with mediocre to lackluster projects in the last few years including Anjaan and the much-awaited Masss, 24, an ambitious science fiction time travel thriller with firm Indian emotions as its roots, comes as a breath of fresh air for fans who have been yearning to witness the real actor in Suriya.
Vikram Kumar has really pulled off a herculean project with watertight screenplay, lavish production values and stellar technical crew. The gigantic set-pieces, ranging from a massive time machine-driven laboratory to the makeshift watch shop, not only serve as eye-candy props but they propel the story forward with each having its own purpose in Vikram Kumar's intricately woven screenplay, that demystifies almost every frame effortlessly without beating around the bush and the usual spoon-feeding. This, certainly, is a great achievement in itself considering how complex general populace thinks a science fiction movie is. Making 24 accessible to the audiences from all walks of life demands more time in the screenplay to unfold things on screen seamlessly, but it is justified in the latter part of the film when everything comes together; each and every dot is connected and like how!
Suriya works his magic through Aathreya, the evil and loathful twin brother of Dr. Sethuraman, a nerdy and inquisitive scientist who is on a mission to invent the world's most unique time machine. However, it is Mani, a playful and flirting watch mechanic that captures the soul of the film at various junctures with superb underplay.
Samantha, as usual, fits the bill and doesn't do much except what she's been asked to. Two songs and few annoying romance portions aside, there is nothing much for her in the story. There are few instances when audiences are made to feel like she's part of the bigger twist, but it gets shattered in the next sequence itself in Vikram Kumar's intelligent writing. Nithya Menen, who gets small screen time as Sethuraman's wife in the film, aces the role gracefully with her trademark expressions and cuteness, adding charm to the proceedings.
The technical values of 24 are topnotch and the team work is evident in the final outcome. Cinematographer Thiru works in accordance with production designers Amit and Subrata, who have pulled off a coup in devising diverse sets for various time periods in the film.
Rahman's background score is a let-down considering the scope and scale of the project, which is a never-before-seen one in the science-fiction genre.
24 is a highly recommended for all age groups of audiences who are interested to watch a good cinema.