Reviewer's Summary - Horrible
Language: Tamil
Year: 2005
Actors: Arjun, Namitha, Keerthi Chawla, Vadivelu, Subha Sandeep, Sanghavi, Manoj K.Jayan
Story, Screenplay & Direction: Selvaa
Producer: K.S.Srinivasan
Music: D.Imaan
This movie left us in tears - it's that bad.
Inspired by the 2004 Denzel Washington film Man on Fire, Aanai is not only no patch on the original but also much worse than the recent Hindi remake Ek Ajnabee starring Amitabh Bachchan and Arjun Rampal.
Like Ek Ajnabee, Aanai lacks the finesse, action and artistry of the Hollywood original. If you have seen Man on Fire, watching Aanai is sheer agony.
While Man on Fire was set in Mexico City and Ek Ajnabee in Bangkok, Aanai is set mostly in Chennai.
Aanai centers around a sincere ex-police officer Vijay (Arjun), who's forced off the police force thanks to vested interests. Vijay's ex-boss recruits him as a bodyguard for a young girl Priya (Baby Taj) following a spate of kidnappings in the city orchestrated by criminals based in London.
However, Vijay is unable to prevent Priya from being kidnapped as she returns from her music lessons. During the kidnapping, Vijay is badly injured and hospitalized. The corrupt cops name him as the main suspect and plot to kill him. Fearful of Vijay's safety in the vicinity of a corrupt police force, his ex-boss carts him off to a safe haven.
Meanwhile, a ransom drop goes awry and the kidnappers tell Priya's parents they have killed their child. An enraged Vijay now goes off on a revenge spree.
It's hard to find something to like in this crude film. Even the little kid Baby Taj's performance is so crude and stilted compared to Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire and Rucha Vaidya in Ek Ajnabee.
The romantic angle involving Namitha and Keerthi Chawla seems silly and totally out of place. Namitha is a bit too plump but looks cute. Keerthi Chawla is all right as the nurse.
Arjun's fight/action scenes are downright comical while Vadivelu's comic interludes are unendurable.
Azhagiya Tharisanam and Midukkanavane are two of the better songs.
Aanai reminds us of Kollywood's tremendous limitations when it ventures into the domain of action movies. - Copyright SearchIndia.com.
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