Cast: Kamal Haasan, K Viswanath, K Balachander, Jayaram, Andrea Jeremiah, Pooja Kumar, Nasser, Parvathi Menon, Parvathy Nair, Urvashi, M S Bhaskar, Chitra Lakshmanan, Anant Mahadevan and others
Music: Ghibran
Cinematography: Shamdat
Editor: Vijay Shankar
Banners: Raaj Kamal Films, Eros International, Thirrupathi Brothers
Producers: Lingusamy, Kamal Haasan, Chandrahasan, Subash Chandrabose
Direction: Ramesh Aravind
Avg User Rating: 3/5
Tagline: Experimental Villain!
Plot:
Manoranjan (Kamal Haasan) is a big mass star with a lot of fan following and he has a strong support of his father-in-law Poornachandra Rao (K Viswanath). Fate strikes a cruel blow when Manoranjan discovers he is having brain tumor and it won’t be long before he will die. As a result, he decides to do one last project which would be a fitting tribute to his fans. For this, he approaches his mentor Margadarshi (K Balachander) to direct his last movie. The reluctant Margadarshi finally agrees and whether Manoranjan is successful in completing his last project or not forms the rest.
Performances:
Kamal Haasan: No two words about it, this is Kamal’s show all the way and he has portrayed that myriad diversity in the right kind of balance. His efforts at coming up with something different and unique are praiseworthy.
KB & KV: Both the veterans K Balachander and K Viswanath are iconic filmmakers and though they have passed their prime (with one of them leaving for heavenly abode) they have once again reiterated why they are the best in the business. Their performance was impeccable.
Pooja Kumar: She is a perfect combination of seductive appeal and expressive beauty. However, there were those times when she went overboard with her performance, that could have been controlled.
Andrea: She did her bit gracefully but one cannot miss that cutely sexual attraction in her. She made her presence felt.
M S Bhaskar: As the manager of Kamal Haasan in the movie, this senior actor has done a fine job and in fact some of his scenes were quite engrossing.
Jayaram: He was adequate and carried his role with the right balance.
Direction:
Ramesh Aravind is a long time associate and good friend of Kamal Haasan but it must be said that his role has been more of an implementer than the real thinker of the script. Given the fact that the story has been penned by Kamal, Ramesh was there to ensure it was executed well. However, it must be said that there were sufficient gaps in bringing pace and energy to the sequences.
Merits:
Kamal Haasan, K Viswanath and K Balachander
Technical standards
Demerits:
Slow pace
Weak screenplay
Predictable plot
Second half
Music:
Ghibran is known for his melodious and energetic tunes but in this, he has gone as per the narrative and gave something different. It would be hard for our audience to connect.
Others:
Cinematography was superb, editing was not sharp, costumes and art department were excellent
Verdict:
Uttama Villain can be watched only for Kamal Haasan and the experimental mode that he shapes up a movie in. But if you are seeking wholesome entertainment then this will not please you.