Movie: Sindhanai Sei
Director: Yuvan
Music: Thaman.
Cast : Yuvan, Bala, Seshanth, Nithish Kumar, Sabi, Madhu Sharma, Dharsha
Verdict : Above Average

Director-writer-hero and producer Yuvan’s genuine affection for his characters is evident in every scene of Sinthanai Sei. He knows them well, he’s familiar with their lives, and he embraces their quirks and contradictions.

This dark, absorbing story has nothing new to offer but re-assures the fact that slick presentation and perfect casting can make a film watchable.

It delivers on both style and content and has a very unusual plot, with well-etched out characters and a promising set of new comers who makes it difficult to point out who is better than whom. It is a dubbed version of the Telugu film Bheebatsam and a remake of Sriram Raghavan’s Johhny Gaddar.

A gang of five cons (Yuvan, Shashank, Bala, Nitish Kumar, Shafi) who shared the same bench in school meet years later only to realize that they have many things in common and their only aim is to make quick money. After being petty thieves, they make a perfect plan for a bank heist and does it quiet successfully. But greed, lust and betrayal drive them against each other.

All the characters including the Gaythri (Madhu Sharama) who gets married to Aadhi but dumps him as he is impotent have dark shades. Among the performances, all the actors have done justice to their respective roles. A major highlight is the songs tuned by Thaman picturised in music video style.

The biggest strength of Sinthanai Sei is its unpredictability and the premise. It is not great cinema but it is a pleasing tapestry of tender moments and of diverse characters who engage you in their lives. It avoids clichés and stereotype characters you often see in Tamil cinema.

On the downside, the film is a bit lengthy and the violence is too much. Three cheers to debutant director Yuvan for compelling the audiences to think differently.