Renigunta Movie Review
A few young men run from the clutches of the cops as the hen crows at dawn. One is killed and while the other runs frantically for his life he recollects his past. The story chronicles the lives of five youth who escape from prison and become vindictive and barbarous killers who'd do anything for money.
Johnny's parents are killed right in front of his eyes and as a school going kid attempts to seek revenge and is handed over to the police, each of them has a history but Johnny's life forms the crux of the story. It is in prison that director Panneerselvam draws sympathy for the five characters who are given third degree treatment and escape only to become hardcore criminals.
There might have been many movies on violence but what grabs ones attention is the sheer treatment of the story, it makes the people think right from scene one the haplessness of the victim, the circumstances that lead him into killing and the society's approach to such people. At the end of the film you end up walking away with the feeling that the common man who creates such a situation favourable to crime are far bigger sinners.
Johnny's tryst with the weapon when he is first compelled to kill by his friends shows the angst, the quandary, the moral dilemma of a youth whose bright future has been sabotaged by a mindless act of one man.
There is a silent romance too that happens between Johnny and Sanusha, the muted love and the glares they exchange which is a bit of a drag but a welcome deviation from the harsh reality. Sanusha has a touching story as well, the pretty actor expresses her feelings only through gestures and her moist eyes, the final scene at the railway station where she sits with her bag of clothes playing with the pictures of deities and waiting for Johnny is a perfect finish, the director couldn't have ended the film better.
Many Tamil films based on violence are repulsive because of it's extremities but this one sucks you in with it's unique approach, they never once seem superficial.
The songs are aptly placed, the first one comes after the first killing, the celebration that happens after avenging the death. The boys travelling in the train without tickets and beating up the collector evokes a gentle humour and so does their wooing of the girls at the temple. The story is thrilling at times and forces your attention to such a subject.
This one could work for people who appreciate good cinema and not those who seek regular, formulaic escapist stories; it also runs a risk of running commercially at the BO.
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