Director- Gokul
Cast- Keerthi Pandian, Arun Pandian,Praveen Raja,Ravindra Vijay, Bhoopathi Raja,Gokul, Jayaraj Kozhikode, Kalki, Shankar Ratnam.
It was a critically acclaimed and a commercially successful film in Malayalam. A survival drama, ‘Helen’ revolved around a hapless girl trapped in a frozen physical space with little chance of getting out. And now the film gets a Tamil make-over as ‘Anbirkiniyal’. The director has followed the original almost faithfully, the changes minor.
The titular role is a challenging one. And it’s to Keerthi Pandian’s credit that she has handled it fairly effectively. Anbu is a cheerful girl who aspires to go to Canada, shares a deep bonding with her father (Arun Pandian) and is in love with Charles ( Praveen). The changes the director has made are insignificant. Like the girl was a Christian and the boy a Muslim in the earlier version. Working at a food-store in a mall, Anbu one night accidentally gets locked in the freezer, with no means of getting out. As her near ones search for the missing girl, it’s about how she copes with the situation.
The father-daughter moments are not particularly exciting here. It’s in the second half that the film takes off and gets one involved in the happenings. There are a few monotonous moments here too, the ‘rat-scene’ seeming a little contrived. The uncooperative cop Ravindran (played efficiently by Ravindra), the cameo moment of a convict in the cell (played by Gokul) and the mall security guard (Jayaraj who had played the role in the Malayalam version too), leave an impact. That kindness is a quality one needs to cultivate is touched on. Anbu’s daily smile to the aged watchman had lighted up his life. And it had made him remember that he had missed her greeting that eve, providing a clue as to where she could be.
For those who have watched the earlier version the reboot may seem a tad underwhelming. But for a first-time viewer it could be a refreshing experience. Survival-dramas being a rarity on Tamil screen, ‘Anbirkiniyal’ (124 minutes)is a welcome change.
Malini Mannath
Malini Mannath 