I didn’t buy the whole 'Echolocation' theory. Just to be sure, I
took a look at the actual videos of visually challenged people who have
practiced this technique. It may help the person to walk around and live
independently but the kind of things the protagonist is able to perform is
simply ridiculous. Had they at least set a framework regarding the activities
he can and cannot do, it would have been easier to accept this. He runs,
fights, kills just like normal people. What's more unbelievable is how MI6
agents are so inept, they cannot save themselves from a blind person.
The premise is absurd as it is, without adding the whole gimmicky
'Echolocation' concept. Gimmicky is fast becoming my favorite word to describe
Tamil films. All these writers are scavenging for one interesting plot point
and then build an entire film around it using the same old, hackneyed
elements. So an Indian scientist invents a bomb which cannot be traced by
metal detectors. He designs a Do-It-Yourself 'flowchart' so any one learns to
assemble the bomb. He is soon found dead under mysterious circumstances and
this flowchart goes missing. There's so much bickering about how some
operative in India is planning to send the flowchart to some International
terrorist organization through Led Ex courier services. I mean, hello, whatever
happened to email? When a blast of this magnitude has killed over a thousand
people and MI6 is apparently involved in a major cover-up, is it too
much to expect the ramifications to be mentioned?
It is about time we had movies where flashbacks, however
unnecessary, were more organically infused to the narrative. I believe I
am not spoiling anything as almost all of this is pretty damn evident from the
trailer. At relatively important junctures, we are made to watch a story
about how he met his wife. She plays an ophthalmologist but is not even able
to guess what her husband’s designation could be. Why would a person form South
India go and work in Delhi Police as a sub-inspector? They were
hoping for it to be cute and all that, but meh. Though I must confess I thought
a couple of scenes with Anushka were the most entertaining in the entire film. But
the problem is that they didn't even belong there. Apart from bringing the
actual plot to a complete standstill, the back-story added little
depth to his motives. Even the revenge he is seeking is out of a misplaced
sense of justice.
Vikram is deeply sincere as always. He tries to bring a lot to his
performance but is let down by the preposterousness surrounding him. The pacing
is very slow and there's not an ounce of thrill to be found anywhere. The
audience at my screening didn't clap or whistle even once and that's something
you don't see happen for a film starring such a popular actor. Truth be told,
there are hardly any moments where you fear for any of the characters. Amy
Jackson and Anushka were rather decent in spite of playing characters that are
not the brightest of bulb in the box. I’m not even going to get into how all
the characters keep running into each other in the city of London. The twists
are weak and you can see them coming from miles away. The actual revenge plot
wouldn't have taken more than 30 minutes of runtime. Most of the scenes meander
around the women in the film trying to fall for Vikram's character. It
comes down to whether the film is entertaining and it is definitely not.