After a span of two years, legendary actor Kamal Haasan is back doing what he does best, indulging himself in the world of art, trying to produce a classy cinema. Is Uttama Villain one such classic? Find out in our review. Plot Surprisingly, Uttama Villain is a simple film with…
Uttama Villain Movie Review
Uttama Villain Movie Review
2015-04-28
Vaishnav
Rating
After a span of two years, legendary actor Kamal Haasan is back doing what he does best, indulging himself in the world of art, trying to produce a classy cinema. Is Uttama Villain one such classic? Find out in our review.
Plot
Surprisingly, Uttama Villain is a simple film with a simple plot made complicated with its not so great screenplay. Kamal Haasan is that typical superstar who wants more out of his glittering yet complicated life. The answer he gets in search of something more is an extra marital affair. The movie then revolves around him, his emotions and the complications involved in his life. Pushed to an unavoidable situation, he decides to make the best film of his career and approaches his mentor, played by K Balachander to direct the film of his life. The film then treats you with a movie inside a movie(8th Century drama flick) and narrates two stories parallely. What happens to the movie and what does fate has in store for one of the greatest actors of present era forms the crux of the story.
Performances
Uttama Villain is completely a performance oriented film and most actors, if not all, have delivered their best. While Kamal Haasan yet again proves why he can be arguably called as the most gifted actor this country has ever seen, special mention goes to Nasser who has competed with Kamal throughout. In spite of appearing for a brief moment, the two legends, K Balachander and Vishwanath have given their best as actors for a change. Out of many female leads, two ladies who come out on top are Parvathy(Menon) and Urvashi. While Andrea has done a decent job, Pooja Kumar’s portrayal in the 8th Century portions is not convincing enough, for she has westernized the character.
Technicalities
Uttama Villain is solid when it comes to technicalities except for its editing. With a run time of 2 hours and 51 minutes, it tests your patience, especially in the second half before it reaches the climax. Cinematography by Shamdat is impressive as he has used right tones for different time periods respectively. Angles used in the stage drama sequences are brilliant and songs gets the much needed colours. Speaking about songs, Ghibran impresses with his soulful background score which adds stability and enhances the overall feel. His music is a great strength to lengthy and sometimes boring drama sequences in the second half. Screenplay has let the movie down as the entire second half appears draggy. Having said that, the climax deserves a standing ovation.
Overall View
Uttama Villain is a fitting tribute to the late K Balachander and is a film all Kamal Haasan fans can be proud of. On the flip side, it lacks the zest to keep everybody hooked throughout.