Bakasuran – Devours the audience’s time with insipid narration
Mohan G, known for his caste based films, has attempted to tackle the serious issue of modern technology turning into weapons for crimes against women. Has he managed to get across his message to his audience through his screenplay in ‘Bakasuran’ remains to be seen.
‘Bakasuran’ opens with a middle aged man trying to exploit a teenage girl in a secluded building. A mysterious man Bheemarasa (Selvaraghavan) appears out of nowhere and brutally kills him by tearing his legs apart. Elsewhere military man turned YouTuber Major Arul (Natty Natraj) is investigating the suicide of his young niece who shockingly was involved in prostitutions. The scenes alternate between Bheemarasa murdering one more man and woman and Arul investigating who is behind the prostitution ring. At a point the two story threads converge and why the protagonist is committing the murders is revealed.
Selvaraghavan no doubt has the perfect looks for the role of the mysterious vigilante murderer who wreaks havoc on men who take advantage of innocent women. But since his characterization is pretty weak it does not make any impact whatsoever. Natty Natraj as usual does a neat job as the relentless army man turned investigator. Tharakshi as the protagonist’s daughter has put in a sincere effort to nail the character and comes out good with her natural acting. Among the rest of the cast the controversial K. Rajan surprises with his histrionics as Selva’s father and Radha Ravi as the main villain is also effective.
What works to some extent in ‘Bakasuran’ is the first half hour or so in the beginning when the stories of Selvaraghavan and Natty are established. The scenes where Bheemarasa goes through hard labor to get near his target are interesting.
On the downside most of the writing is lame and the wayward screenplay goes on endlessly even after the story is long over. The core issue of the sex crimes against women is handled just like that and serves only as an excuse for the routine revenge drama. The father-daughter bonding is filmed in such a cliched manner that the tragedy is totally unaffecting. There is no character worthy for the audience to root for.
Sam CS has provided his brand of now familiar background score that screams to try and thrill the bored audience. The rest of the technicalities are on par with the filmmakers vision. Mohan G has tried to steer clear of controversy by choosing an issue that can affect people of any caste. But unfortunately he has come up with an unimaginative narration that is tedious to watch.
Verdict : Strictly for Mohan G’s fans