Yaagaavaaraayinum Naa Kaaka (No matter what, mind your tongue )

YNK from now on...

Desperate times call for desperate measures. That seems to be the case with YNK as well. It’s a huge burden for some of the actors who hail from a family that is rooted in the movie industry to carry-forth the legacy. Aadhi too seems be caught in this quandary as well. He made a noteworthy debut with “Mirugam”, but after that he hasn’t done enough to seal his place firmly among the stars. As a result he is feeling the heat to deliver a hit badly in order to prove his worth as a saleable actor if not a “rising star”. It’s not that he cannot act. He is a decent actor and has proved it with films like “Eeram” and “Aravaan”. But from what seems to be his career so far, it’s been a few miscalculated steps that has pulled him back.

As far as the story of YNK goes, it claims to be based on a “real” incident. That was the only interesting part in the first half. Apart from that a tried and tested “action-romance-sentiment” template has been put in place with a “who-dunnit” suspense twist. For the thrill and suspense to kick-in one has to wait for well over 90 minutes.

The subplots in the first half especially with a heroine like Nikki Galrani, one cannot do much but have to contend with her much bashed-up ‘loosu-penn’ antics that falls on deaf ears. Nikki has seriously stretched it beyond limits and is a front-runner for the maddest leading girl in Kollywood and stays well ahead of her competitors.

The friendship angle on the other hand was very lethargically handled with the usual songs and the happy moments tucked in with some weak scenes and characterization. Not even one among the friends delivered a decent performance. Also the protagonist’s family that consists of the traditional Tamil cinema’s “headmasterly” father whose bait has been passed from the Nassars and Prakashrajs of the last decade to the Narens of today has been heavily bashed up once again to add to the family quotient and appeal. For the mother’s, it's Pragathi’s turn to add those “doting” mother’s scenes and the last sentimental weep to ensure that the movie’s template stands justified.

In the second half when the movie seemed to make a move and the twist started to kick-in it was a long wait for the viewers. On top of that there were some unwarranted action scenes where the hero and his cronies take some heavy thrashing at the hands of a sleepwalking Mithun Chakraborthy who seemed to have put on a reluctant show. Songs were absolute dampeners and the romantic interludes were frantically indifferent.

Maybe director Prabhas who happens to be the real-life brother of the protagonist should have shown a little more diligence at scripting a much more engaging narrative and that would have definitely translated into a little more love for his brother. As things stand now, it’s tough luck bro!

Verdict: Below Average

Rating: 2 / 5