Review: Leader
Film: Leader
Cast: Legend Saravanan, Sham, Andrea, Santhosh Prathap, Payal Rajput, Lal, Prabaharan, Amirtha Aiyer, VTV Ganesh, Iyal, Aishwarya, Mariam George, Nisha, “Adithya” Kathir
Director: R. S. Durai Senthilkumar
Music : Ghibran Vaibodha
Director of Photography : Venkatesh S
Editor : Pradeep E Ragav
Art Director: G. Durairaj
Stunts : Mahesh Mathew
Rating: 3.5 stars
Director R S Durai Senthilkumar shows why exactly he is rated so high not just by film critics but also by the audiences with his film ‘Leader’. The film is a very convincing action thriller that has as its core, the phenomenal love that a dad has for his daughter.
However, don’t let the teaser or the trailer of the film mislead you into believing that this is just about the bond between a dad and his daughter. While that forms a significant part, the film has a lot more to offer and revolves around the efforts undertaken by the leader of a specialised squad formed to elimate traitors in the country’s intelligence wing to track and eliminate a formidable foe.
Synopsis
The story revolves around Sakthivel alias Maran (Legend Saravanan) a mechanic, whose life revolves around his young daughter Irene. Sakthivel services costly cars in the port town of Thoothukudi. The garage he works at is owned by a simple businessman (played by VTV Ganesh). Most of the cars serviced at the garage are from a gangster called Salt, who is part of a big syndicate that deals in the sale and distribution of Ammonium Nitrate, an explosive substance that has been banned in several states.
Salt runs his operations from the Port. While the police is aware that Salt and his gang are into something illegal, they aren’t exactly sure what it is.
It is under these circumstances that Indra (Andrea Jeremiah), a police officer who is determined to learn more about Salt and his operations, comes to the garage of VTV Ganesh. She seeks Sakthivel’s help to plant a bug in one of the cars of Salt’s henchmen in the hope of getting to learn more about the gang’s dealings. Although Sakthivel bluntly refuses to help Indra, she creates a situation in which Sakthivel ends up revealing to the cops what Salt is dealing in. While Indra believes that she is the one pulling the strings and getting Sakthivel to dance to her tunes, little does she know that it is actually Sakthivel who is silently calling the shots…
Analysis:
Durai Senthilkumar comes up with a fast paced, gripping spy action thriller that by and large works because of the smart manner in which the story is narrated. Be it the manner in which the shots are framed or the manner in which the developments are narrated, Durai Senthilkumar gets it all spot on.
It is the strength of the story and the manner in which it is narrated that make Leader work. The director also seems to have got his casting right.
Performances:
The acting of businessman-turned-actor Saravanan or ‘Legend’ Saravanan, as he is better known, seems to have improved leaps and bounds with regard to acting. Saravanan comes up with a neat and dignified performance that goes a long way in making Leader what it is. Saravanan still has some distance to go with regard to acting but what cannot be denied is that his acting in this film has certainly improved from his previous performance.
Payal Rajput is just adorable as Meera. She waltzes in like a cool gentle breeze and effortlessly steals the show as the wife of Saravanan.
Actor Shaam, who plays an honest police officer, delivers yet another commendable performance in this film.
Santhosh, who plays the villain, does a really good and convincing job in this film.
Lal, Mariam George, VTV Ganesh, Andrea Jeremiah and Amirtha Iyer play their supporting roles to perfection.
Technical Aspects:
Ghibran serves up some really melliflous melodies in this film. His background score too is apt and amplifies the emotion on screen. Venkatesh’s visuals are a delight to watch for the most part. Pradeep E Raghav’s editing in the initial stages is perfect. However, one feels trimming the second half a little more could make the film even more appealing.
Verdict: Leader is a film that certainly works.
