Taut, edgy thriller with a homily

Chennaiyil Oru Naal
Tamil (U) ****
Director: Shaheed Kader
Cast: Sarathkumar, Prakash Raj, Cheran, Prasanna,
Mithun Tejasvi, Raadhika Sarathkumar, Parvathi Menon, Nassara

Based on a real-life incident, Chennaiyil Oru Naal, which also draws its inspiration from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s 21 Grams turns out into an edgy, top-of-the-chart entertainer.

The taut thriller sees director Shahid Khader making a delectable job of 2011 Malayalam movie Traffic, which had successful outing and doing his mentor Rajesh Pillai proud.

Laden with league of lengthy cast that reads like who’s who scroll of Kollywood, Chennaiyil, which spotlights on a quartet of distinct characters and diverse worlds they are drawn from and how their paths criss-cross, also inserts as a subtle subtext, social homily into its otherwise entertaining and engaging narrative.

A raging superstar, a traffic constable back on duty from suspension following a bribery case, a proficient medical doctor, an aspiring TV journo form the basic fulcrum of Chennaiyil Oru Naal.  Also tagging along are doctor’s snazzy wife, scribe’s devasted parents, his heart-throb, a reputed police chief, et al.

A routine day turns into significant one which impacts each one of them, when an accident at a traffic signal renders the scribe brain dead and on ventilator. Likewise, the superstar's daughter is on death bed, needing urgent heart transplantation.

Though the parents consent to save the lass, absence of a helicopter, has the commissioner suggest it be done on road.

In sum, Mission Impossible. Then on begins your edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting, nervy drama. Backed by taut and tantalising script, slick editing, Chennaiyil turns out into adrenaline adventure with surprising twists and turns, even as it slips in slew of meaningul messages on traffic snarls and organ transplantation.

Sans the right in your face, formulaic commercial potpourri, Chennaiyil turns out a clean, honest fare at theatres near you. Experience the day in Chennai, as it takes the living lights of you. Happy sojourn.