Anbil Avan: A film that makes a promising start but loses its way

Film: Anbil Avan
Director: R Kaarthikeyan
Cast: Ashok Selvan, Preity Mukhundan, Kadir Balu , Maha Delhi Ganesh, Sabumon Abdusamad and Revathi among others
Produced By : K.Karunamoorthy, Ashok Selvan, Abinaya Selvam
Music : Govind Vasantha
Dop : Gowtham Rajendran
Editor : Selva RK
Action: Peter Hein
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis

Surya (Ashok Selvan) is a “progressive” man who is madly in love with his wife, Iyal (Preity Mukhundhan). He has all the traits that today’s empowered women want in a relationship. He is a dutiful husband, who takes turns cooking with his wife, he has no dream of his own but makes his wife’s dream of running a homestay business “their” dream, he is someone who will constantly apologise to her, irrespective of whether he is wrong or not and yes, he will take on the world for her sake.

When Surya one day sees Iyal, who works in a star hotel, being insulted by her boss in front of other employees, he feels hurt. He recalls his promise to her of making her the owner of a cottage in a hillstation where people can come and stay for a holiday. He decides it is time to deliver on that promise and buys a cottage, selling and pledging all that he has and borrowing money from friends. The couple move into the new place, happy at the thought that they are about to realise their dream but little do they know that fate has other plans for them…

Analysis:
Anbil Avan gets off to a promising start and, for a while, gives the impression that it could develop into an engaging drama. The first half is reasonably absorbing, with the performances and narrative keeping things moving. Unfortunately, the film gradually loses its grip in the second half, turning increasingly taxing for the viewer.

The biggest problem is the climax. The extended fight sequence, in particular, is difficult to take seriously. The film pits a couple, who are already seriously injured, against around 40 men who are supposedly trained to kill. Yet, despite their condition and the overwhelming odds, the couple proceeds to take down most, if not all, of their opponents. The sheer implausibility of the sequence dents the credibility of what is happening on screen.

What makes matters worse is the length of the fight. The action is so artificial and exaggerated that instead of creating tension or excitement, it becomes cumbersome. At a certain point, one simply longs for the sequence to end. A more restrained and believable treatment could have made the climax considerably more effective.

The film also raises concerns with the way it handles its ideas about relationships and marriage. Beneath the surface, Anbil Avan appears to push the notion that a man needs to be a stooge of his wife to be regarded as “progressive”, leaving little room for him to have dreams, aspirations or an identity of his own. There is also an uncomfortable tendency to suggest that men should take the blame whenever something goes wrong, regardless of whether they are actually responsible, and repeatedly apologise to their wives. Whether intentional or not, these ideas can make the film’s supposedly progressive stance feel rather one-sided.

On the brighter side, the performances are a definite strength. Most of the cast puts in solid work, with Ashok Selvan and Preity Mukhundan delivering neat performances and lending credibility to their portions of the film. They receive able support from Kadir Balu, who makes an impression as an evil politician. Maha Delhi Ganesh is effective as a lecherous inspector, while Sabumon Abusamad brings an interesting shade to his role as a lawyer who is, in reality, more of a criminal and a broker.

Ultimately, Anbil Avan is a film that shows promise in its early portions but struggles to sustain it. The engaging first half gives way to a laborious second half, with an unnecessarily long and implausible climax becoming the biggest stumbling block. Good performances provide some compensation, but they are not enough to overcome the film’s increasingly cumbersome writing and execution.