Review: Amaran

Film: Amaran
Starring: Sivakarthikeyan, Sai Pallavi
Written & Directed by: Rajkumar Periasamy
Banner: Raajkamal Films International & Sony Pictures International Productions
Produced by : Kamal Haasan, Sony Pictures International Productions, R. Mahendran
Music: G V Prakash Kumar
Cinematographer: CH Sai
Action Directors : Anbariv , Stefan Richter
Editor: R. Kalaivannan
Rating: 3.5 stars

Director Rajkumar Periasamy presents a slightly dramatised version of the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan, who made the supreme sacrifice for the country while fighting militants in Kashmir.

To be fair to Rajkumar Periasamy, he does a reasonably good job of narrating the inspiring tale of the Major from the Rashtriya Rifles regiment, a unit raised to fight insurgency in the country.

The story, or at least a considerable portion of it, is told from the perspective of the late major’s wife Indu Rebecca Verghese.

The film tries to cover almost the entire life of Mukund. Starting from the time he was born and named Mukund to his meeting his future wife in college to his love for the army and his exceptional work there, the film shows it all. Amaran details several bold encounters carried out by Mukund and ends with the incident that claimed his life.

Full marks to the entire team for having told the story with a lot of heart. No wonder then that you get goosebumps in quite a few places while watching the film.

True, some aspects of Mukund’s life have been either left out or have been slightly modified but it does not really matter as the film, which was made to inspire and to showcase to the world the supreme sacrifice an army officer made, succeeds in its mission.

Writing and direction:
Director Rajkumar Periasamy deserves a round of applause for narrating a story in exactly the way it should have been narrated — accurately. The military operations carried out by the unit of Major Mukund Varadarajan, the manner in which the man kept his troops sharp, the way he insisted on not leaving even one man behind, his concern for the welfare of his soldiers and the respect he commanded from those serving under him are all brought out effortlessly and in a manner that is seamless and straightforward.

The film not only showcases Mukund’s courage and his leadership abilities, it also takes adequate time to throw light on the deep love he had for his mother, father, wife and child.

The writing is good and the narration almost perfect. More importantly, the director takes adequate care not to make this appear like a documentary but a real story that people can relate to and empathise.

One more aspect why Amaran stands out is because it makes you aware of the exceptional work that this particular regiment called Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army has been doing and makes you feel infinitely grateful to them for the selfess sacrifices they have made in the interest of the nation.

Performances:
Sai Pallavi as Indu Rebecca Verghese, the wife of the slain major, delivers a fantastic performance. The performance is so good that this may well be her career-best.

Sivakarthikeyan seems to have really put in quite a bit of effort to portray the character of Major Mukund. He seems to have undergone a transformation both — physically and mentally — to play the role to perfection and one must say that he does a resonably good job of it.

All the other supporting cast members too make handsome contributions.

Technical Aspects:

G V Prakash, who has a reputation for enhancing the impact of a film with his background score, shows why he is rated so high with his work in this film. Music is an integral part of the film and it plays a pivotal part in making you empathise with the hero and his family.

CH Sai’s cinematography is neat and so is Kalaivannan’s editing.

Verdict:

Amaran is a heart-felt tribute to a brave warrior, who laid down his life for the nation. It is a film that inspires and impresses. Definitely worth a watch!