Movie Review: Yennai Arindhaal (Tamil)

Yennai Arindhaal, in its truest sense, is a sequel - the third and final chapter in the life of a honest upright cop, Kaakha Kaakha being the first, and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu being the second, exploring the constant tussle between right versus wrong, and good versus evil, while putting that said cop's life in the crossfire. Can he unswervingly commit himself to the cause of upholding justice no matter what considering the near perennial danger to his loved ones? How far can he go to protect them?

And just like the other two films, at the heart of the story lies a romance. Involving Hemanika, a single mother of a two-year-old girl, who finds herself attracted to a middle-aged policeman (a subtle act by Ajith as Sathyadev) whom she meets by happenstance. This is so like Jyothika's character in Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu and yet it's charming in its own way. There's also Thenmozhi, the other leading woman in the film who literally woos the guy she has fallen in love with, complimenting his dressing sense, his attractive looks and whatnot. Just like Jyothika's Maaya in Kaakha Kaakha. So is the antagonist Victor, who immediately recalls to mind Pandya from the same film.

Thus when Hemanika exits the story at a crucial juncture, one cannot but help frustratingly draw parallels between the two films. The déjà vu is hard to miss. In fact, it feels like watching Kaakha Kaakha all over again, even if the aftermath marks the progression in the life of the 'cop' from a lover to a husband and finally, to a father. I also wish the movie wasn't so long and Gautham Menon hadn't muddled the meditative police procedural with a totally unnecessary organ trafficking angle that seems to have been thrust in for the sole purpose of providing a dramatic tension between the hero and the villain.