Gautam Vasudev Menon has attempted something different and fortunately it is not something that is different for different’s sake. His story about a serial – killer who is trying to figure out whether he is a romantic at heart or a horny, murdering bastard while trying to escape the ravages of a traumatic past is a masterly effort and somehow manages to be sincere despite the director’s occasional nods to the demands of convention.
Tamil cinema does not know it yet but this film is one of the best things that has happened to it. Finally we have a film that is not a disgrace to its genre. Nadunisi Naigal is a psychological thriller and makes no bones about it. New face Veera makes a dazzling debut with his turn as the schizophrenic killer. Sameera Reddy as the damsel in distress also does a neat job.
Gautam Menon has clearly come a long way from his Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu days which was a desperately wannabe and unflinchingly pretentious flick on serial killers which made you snort so hard that you wound up embarrassing yourself in public. Nadunisi Naigal is a well – written movie that does not shy away from portraying a damaged and dangerous soul and unearthing the sordid secrets of his past which made him a killer. The maverick filmmaker maintains a racy pace for the most part but towards the end you wind up feeling that you are trapped in Gautam Menon’s warped imaginary realms along with Sameera Reddy. A minor grouse!
As for the ‘twist in the tale’, if you are a fan of this genre and have seen a certain Hitchcockian masterpiece you will figure it out at the very onset. But full credit to the director for managing to sustain your interest this fact notwithstanding. That’s the amazing thing about Tamil cinema and its new crop of talented film makers, just when you are about to give up on the lot of them they do something brave and blow your mind! Kudos to Gautam Vasudev Menon for having the guts to make a film like this.
