Irudhi Suttru. I am knocked out.

When our superstars and divas are keeping the till at plastic surgeons’ clinking with their anti-aging treatments, Botox shots and such, there are the Ajit Kumars , Vijay Sethupathis and Madhavans who show the world that it’s not just wine that gets better with age. Coach Prabhu is middle aged, divorced, hot headed and he thrashes people verbally and physically. He sleeps around with married women. Here is Maddy in a very different avatar. He swears but his pronunciation is perfect. When Madhi calls him ‘kezhavaa’, he doesn’t flinch. And I go to Wikipedia: Madhavan is 45 years old. And I am 30 years old. When did this happen?!

The star of the film is Ritika Singh. Undoubtedly! She plays the part North Indian, North Madras fishmonger, Mohammad Ali fan to the hilt. Did you notice that she wears no makeup? In most part of the movie, she wears what is expected out of someone like her. She wears a chunky, random metal chain held together by a safety pin. The boxer sisters share a pair of shoes. And her single handed push up set knocked me out. Now, THAT is a heroine. She can punch, box and act! I think I am in love with her. And I am motivated to learn that elusive push up. 

It’s not just Madhi who makes the mistake of falling in love with the ruffian Prabhu. The female audience falls for him unanimously, hook, line and sinker. Once again, after Alai Payuthey. After a decade and a half. Oh, those boxer arms, the solo bike trip from Hissar to Chennai, the aviators, the acchu pizhai illaadha pronunciation, the way he says, ‘composite bow’ ( Don’t ask me why I chose this). I think this post should revive the #ChennaiFloods hashtag! 

Does Santosh Narayan have it in him to be the next big thing in Tamil film music? Possibly. His choice of singers amazes me. Gaana Bala rendered awesome jazz in Pizza. And here’s a wonderful new voice singing, ‘Aye Sandaikkara’. 

So, what did I like in this movie?
Madhi, in all her fervour, wears a saree and ‘dresses up’, chases Prabhu with meen kozhambu and says, ‘Master, I love you, Master’. He brushes her aside saying, ‘I am old enough to be your father’. How many Indian actors have the courage to say that on screen today? I liked it that the movie does not end with a romantic angle to this beautiful mentor and protégé relationship. Much is left to the viewer’s discretion. That’s a wonderful deviation from Tamil masala.
It’s a movie for little girls who have great dreams.
Proselytization is portrayed funnily enough. 

Maddy, you are back. The sharp tongued, beer guzzling boxing coach who turns all suave in a suit. You are quite the package.

Gethu. No, don't ask me why I chose to watch it in the first place.

Maybe Udhayanidhi Stalin woke up one fine day and discussed something like this with the rest of the team:
Hey, let's make a movie with Amy Jackson. Oh, and wait, I want Hollywood elements: Snipers, espionage, martial art fight sequences. Throw in the beautiful Nilgiris and some Appa sentiment.

But Tamil Cinema ke pass only Amma hai!
Tamil la ippo en family ku pudikkaadha orae vaarthai, Amma!
Right, let's shoot song sequences with Amy Jackson first.
Kadhai enna, Sir? Adha appram paarthukkalaam..
Amy is white.
It's OK, make her wear pottu and salwar kameez. Bingo, she becomes Iyengar. A kleptomaniac Iyengar, mindddd it.
Amy. Songs. Done. What next? Forget her.
Wait, we need Hollywood elements. Isn't that what I said, initially?
OK, get fancy guns and a guy who looks lithe enough to handle them. He's our antagonist.
Adhellaam sari, kadhai enna?
Adhu thaanaa build aagum.
What do we do with the blue eyed, left handed (Yes, the suspect has to be left handed to be distinguished from the rest) antagonist character we have built?
Give him guns.
What does he do with the guns?
Oh, let's make him kill random people.

Wait, where's the hero amongst all this?
Oh, adhu naan daan illa? I am romancing with Amy.
Please, KADHAI...
OK, Amy! Off you go.
Music. Music.. How can I forget that? Get Harris Jeyaraj to copy, paste some stuff. Paste the songs somewhere in between.
Hey, I have to incorporate some really nice cinema techniques I have seen in western movies that IMDB suggested: Use a mirror to show a murder shot. Focus on the hole a sniper carves out of a glass window. Intimidate, just intimidate and do nothing more to the sishter character. (I half expected her to lash out at the pockmark faced villain all by herself: After all, she is a PE teacher's daughter and looked all hot under the collar).
Done.
Kadhai, please!! the audience are getting disoriented.
Oh, we let go of Amy too soon. We must have made a romantic comedy drama like we generally do.
Sari, wrap up. You save the important-to-the-country guy. But wait, how's your dad's misfortune related to this mess? Hmmmm, adhaavadhu.. adhu epdinaa.. adhu vandhu.. actually, basically, technically, virtually, chemically, cinematically.. sathyamaa enakku therila, ehdaavadhu kadhai neengale sollikkonga saaar! Amy shorts pottuttu kulir la dance aadaraanga, naa poi paakkaraen...