7aum Arivu-Sixth Sense is Scarce

 

Cast : Surya, Shruthi Hasaan,Johnny Tri Nguyen

Music : Harris Jeyaraj

Cinematography : Ravi K Chandran

Direction : A.R.Murugadoss

Production : Red Giant Movies

Review : Sai Shyam G(The 70 mm Team)

The most expected film of the year has hit the screens this Diwali and expectations for 7aum Arivu were sky high as it has the successful trio,Suriya-A.R.Murugadoss-Harris who gave us the smash hit Ghajini before. The movie has the star power, foot tapping songs, exaggerated fight sequences and evenseventh sense (hypnotism) but fails to click as a wholesome entertainer. It is the perfect example of a movie which starts off with a bang but eventually loses the plot.

Story

A prelude to the film shows us about Bodhidharman (Suriya), a Pallava prince who travels to China in the 6th Century to enlighten the people there about curing rare diseases and he has also taught them the nuances of martial arts and hypnotism. Bodhidharman even sacrifices his life as per the wish of the Chinese people.

The central plot begins in the present day where Shuba (Shruti Haasan), a genetic engineering student tries to prove a path breaking research which can bring back Bodhidharman. Aravind (Suriya) is a circus artist and he has his DNA almost matching with that of Bodhidharman's. This fact makes Shuba to befriend Aravind but he later feels that she has cheated him in the name of love. Meanwhile, Chinese Government sends Dong Lee (Johnny Tri Nguyen) to start a bio war 'Operation Red' on India. The tiresome climax tells us whether Bodhidharman came back to life or not.

Performances

Suriya as Bodhidhrman is stupendous in his role. Look out for the 'Tejas' on his face and first 20 minutes of the film completely belongs to Suriya. Suriya as the circus artist Aravind is street smart in his role but the character has very little scope to perform except for the climax fight sequence.

Shruti Haasan needs to take some acting lessons for sure. Her expressions are so weak and unconvincing. Johnny Tri Nguyen with a well-built physique performs in his character effortlessly and gives a tough fight to Suriya.

Technicalities

Harris Jayaraj's songs are hummable but where do they fit into the movie? Except 'Oh Ringa Ringa' and 'Innum Enna Thozha', all other songs pop up at irksome places. The background score is pretty ordinary too. Cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran has done a neat job but Anthony's editing is not crisp and to-the-point. There are plenty of loose ends which bring down the pace of the movie.

Yes, there are few scenes which have powerful dialogues which would make you have goose bumps, especially if you are a Tamilian. But, that does not assure you that it will turn out to be a good movie. There are plenty of uninteresting scenes and if at all the movie gains some pace, a song would pop up and annoy you. Also, the hypnotism concept is too much exaggerated which might leave you wondering whether it's a fantasy film. Suriya tries his best to upheld the deteriorating screenplay but it goes in vain. A.R.Murugadoss has tried to throw some light on one of the unsung heroes of our nation. Hats off to him for that but thumbs down for his mediocre screenplay!

Wow Factors

• The first 20 minutes of the film where Suriya performs out of his skin as Bodhidharman

• Johnny Tri Nguyen's effortless acting

Oops Factors

• Weak and tedious screenplay

• Shruti Haasan's expression

• Songs at inappropriate places

• Poor CG works

Bottomline

7aum Arivu steeply falls short of expectations and it needed a little more of the sixth sense rather than the seventh sense for it to work.