Director: Selvaraghavan
Cast: Suriya, Sai Pallavi, Rakul Preet Singh
‘NGK/Nanda Gopala Kumaran’ is a film that revolves around the protagonist after whom it is named (played by Suriya) and his tryst with politics. Kumaran is an organic farmer in Srivilliputtur, albeit a highly qualified one, who has chosen the great outdoors having been disillusioned by the rather claustrophobic corporate setting. Though he has always had a streak of activism about him, his foray into politics seems to be a chance culmination of various incidents, incited by groups whose livelihood has apparently been jeopardized by Kumaran’s organic farming initiatives (this part has not been explained vividly at all, we just get a bunch of loose scenes that are neither too informative nor impactful).
However, this is where the film takes on an interesting path. Unlike most other politically centered films, Kumaran here does not get to start a ‘puratchi’ or wave through his own larger than life party. He starts right at the grassroots, as nothing more than the sleazy local MLA’s (played by Ilavarasu) help. A terrific sequence follows where we see the wily Kumaran tactfully first gain his MLA’s confidence and ultimately make himself indispensable and prominent. The narration is subtle, sarcastic and hilarious at the same time, setting a refreshing tone for a film in this genre. Unfortunately, the film fails to hold this together for much longer. At one point, the story demands Kumaran to break out on his own, to explode into that larger than life political figurehead. The script fails miserably at this transition. These scenes are rushed and rather comical, almost undoing the refreshing build up that we spoke about earlier. There is Vanathi (played by Rakul Preet), a PR whiz in Kumaran’s party, who supposedly helps him strategize his moves, but again, we are not clear on what exactly this involved as the following scenes are quite predictable and nothing out of the ordinary. And oh, there’s also the classic Kollywood speed-breaker in the middle of all this, a woeful duet that even Sid Sriram couldn’t save (Yuvan Shankar Raja is the music composer). Sai Pallavi, portraying Kumaran’s wife Geetha Kumari, has a largely muted and confused role and no supporting character in general seems to leave a lasting mark.
An activist protagonist taking on the corrupt system is a tested concept in Tamil cinema. In this film, you definitely buy into the character of NGK, portrayed reasonably well by Suriya. However, it is the various plot points and actions that lead him to his goal that are quite unconvincing, and ultimately lead to the film’s downfall. There are flashes of brilliance from Selvaraghavan here and there- take the chase in the market towards the end of the film that is brilliantly conceptualized and choreographed. But these are few and far between. The film ultimately doesn’t deliver on all the promises made in its manifesto!
Overall rating: 2/5
