Review: Aalan

Film: Aalan
Cast : Vetri , Mathura, Anu Sithara, Karunakaran, Vivek Prasanna, Aruvi Madankumar, Hareesh Peradi.
Director/Producer : Siva.R
Cinematographer: Vindhan Stalin
Editor: Mu.Kasi Viswanathan
Music Director : Manoj Krishna
Art Director: Udhay Kumar.K
Rating: 2 stars

Director Siva’s Aalan is a romantic drama that is more philosophical than it is romantic. It is about one man’s journey to self-actualisation by following his true calling, which, in this case, happens to be writing.

The story in brief…
The story revolves around Thiyagu (Vetri), who hails from Kodaikanal but ends up growing up in the ashram of a sadhu who lives on the ghats adjacent to the Ganges.

Thiyagu evolves spiritually and is almost like a sage but his love for writing continues to draw him to the world.

Realising this, his guru (Hareesh Peradi) gives him permission to go and pursue his heart’s desire. He sets out and looks to return to his hometown. As he embarks on the journey, he meets a German girl (Mathura) who speaks Tamil. They soon fall in love and she encourages him to write his first story. What happens then is what the story is all about.

Analysis:
Director Siva’s story moves at a sluggish pace even as you have no idea where the story is heading or what it is that the director is looking to communicate through the film.

For the most part, it is philosophical, with advice being doled out through one character or the other. For instance, the protagonist’s granddad advices him to write as he says, “Reading will be useful only to you. Only when you write, will it be useful to others.”

Then you have the guru of the hero, who has his own advice to give. Needless to say, the film comes across as being preachy.

What also works against the film is the plot, the core idea of which seems to be a little outdated. It might have worked a couple of decades ago.

Performances:
Vetri, on several occasions in the film, is found wanting when it comes to expressions. Anu Sithara and Mathura play their parts well. However, Anu Sithara appears only for a small portion in the second half. Hareesh Peradi, Vivek Prasanna and Karunakaran deliver what is expected of them.

Technical Aspects:
Vindhan Stalin’s cinematography is an asset to the film. Some of his aerial shots of the Ganges and its adjoining spiritual places are breathtaking to watch.

Manoj Krishna’s music is apt and looks to add strength to Siva’s story telling. Kasi Viswanathan’s lenient editing lets a lot of unnecessary sequences escape and that pulls down the film by a certain margin.

Verdict:
In all, Aalan is preachy and has lots of advice and very little entertainment to offer.