Aambala (Man) - Harlequin Manifestations spiced up with Masala (a deadly cocktail)!

Very few directors in Tamil can successfully handle a casting coup as director Sundar C. It has become such a habit that he may not be able to make films with lesser known actors or a supporting cast consisting of irrelevant names. Even if the cast is fraught with an ensemble star cast, how often do we see directors striking the right blend when it comes to content and presentation? Sundar C has most certainly mastered this rare art after directors like KS Ravikumar and P Vasu tasting some success at engaging such a ploy. His latest, ‘Aambala’ with Vishal at the helm of things is no different.

A few days back I read a Facebook status that highlighted the ‘least common denominator’ for a Vishal movie by comparing his previous outings:

If Vishal is separated from his parents, it is ‘Thimiru’;

If he is separated from his brother, it is ‘Thoranai’;

If he is separated from his sister, it is ‘Vedi’;

If he is separated from his mother, it is ‘Poojai’

And one more time ladies and gentlemen…. give it up for Vishal,

If he is separated from his father, it is ‘Aambala’;

I am not sure even if Vishal would have noticed this coincidence, but nevertheless I still have my doubts firmly rooted whether this act of ‘separation’ would have him relinquish such cliched knots in his forthcoming movies. As I mentioned before its all about brothers and a step brother (Vishal, Sathish and Vaibhav) uniting with their long lost father (Prabhu wearing a buffoon’s hat) in order to unite him with his sisters (AishwArya, Kiran and Ramya Krishnan) by wooing their respective daughters (Hansika and 2 more hotties). So from the surface, there seems to be a story, but it was narrated with such a mockery and at a crazy pace that we tend to lose track of the proceedings and after sometime we would start embracing whatever that might come our way.

I went with very low expectations and I found the movie mildly engaging because of the humor that was spun within the plot and the fact that the movie doesn’t really promise anything big or exquisite. There was neither a serious moment nor an emotional one. It was just a bunch of slapstick acts spruced up with some commercial masala that had Vishal doing the honors and settle his scores with his avengers on and off screen.

The movie can definitely be watched once for its rapidly paced presentation and some goofy humor that makes you laugh aloud even with your senses firmly intact. Santhanam and Manobala’s initial combination is worth a mention and Santhanam’s re-entry towards the climax re-ignited the comic flames in the narrative. So sit back, remove your thinking glasses and enjoy the clowns performs in front of you.

Verdict: Laugh riot without a solid plot!

Rating: 2 / 5