Cast: Aravind Swami, Silambarasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Arun Vijay, Jyothika, Aditi Rao Hydari, Aishwarya Rajesh & Dayana Erappa, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha & Others
Banner: Madras Talkies & Lyca Productions
Music: AR Rahman
Editor: A Sreekar Prasad
Cinematography: Santosh Sivan
Producer: A Subaskaran & Mani Ratnam
Writer & Director: Mani Ratnam

Rating: 3/5

Mani Ratnam’s cult fan base is always on their toes to watch their favourite director’s movie without giving a damn about the result of the particular movie.

Mani Ratnam’s latest film Nawab (Chekka Chivantha Vaanam in Tamil) is releasing today across the globe. A huge number of star actors are playing the main roles in the movie. As the promos increased the buzz
over the movie and the fans of Mani Ratnam are eagerly waiting to watch this film.

Does this Nawab film would end his flop streak or not is discussed below in the Nawab review.

Story:

Bhupathi Reddy (Prakash Raj) is a powerful gangster in the city. His sons Varada (Arvind Swami), Thyagu (Arun Vijay) & Rudra (Simbu) are the staunch followers of his footsteps.

At this juncture, a murder attempt happens on Bhupathi Reddy in the broad daylight. This incident triggers a lot of chaos in the whole family. It even leads to question the trust among the three siblings.

Coincidentally, Bhupathi Reddy passes away with a heart attack after the assassination incident. It makes things even worse in the family.

What are those issues that surface after the passing away of Bhupathi Reddy? Who is behind that murder attempt? These are the questions unfold on the silver screen.

Actors & Performances:

Aravind Swami: He played the role of hot-headed elder son in the family. His performance as an elder son who is in dreams of replacing his father’s place is extraordinary.

Arun Vijay: He played a shrewd businessman role in the movie and he showcased the decent villainy in him which is required for the role.

STR aka Simbu played the brat son in the family. His recklessness behaviour grabbed the attention of the audience. He perfectly matched to the role of Rudra.

Vijay Sethupathi played the most key role in the film. His role of a suspended police officer is one among the key characters in the entire story.

Remaining artistes like Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Aditi Rao Hydari & Aishwarya Rajesh marked their presence with their spotless acting.

Analysis:

Everyone on this earth is like a zero and they just try to hide their original characters under some masks. It is the thing which Mani Ratnam wanted to convey through the film Nawab.

Well, he established the characters and their emotions in the first half and it comes to a halt where Bhupathi Reddy passes away at the interval block. From there onwards, he showed the criminal natures in three sons and their thirst for the position of their beloved father.

He tried to establish the conflict among the siblings with his screenplay and as it got some loopholes which made the audience lost to enjoy the twists in the climax.

Especially, the climax portions turned out as weak due to the predictable twists in the story. But, the characters and its portrayals are one of the major highlights of the film. Each character has their own perspective & mark in the movie. But showcasing them in a thrilling mode got derailed due to the weak screenplay.

Technical Aspects:

BGM from AR Rahman is apt and perfect to the mood of the scenes. His music elevated the emotional scenes to the next level. Santosh Sivan’s Cinematography is top notch. His visuals are extraordinary.  The screenplay from Mani Ratnam has some loopholes as it failed to hold the major twists in the story, which are actually meant to be revealed in climax scenes.

Plus Points:

+ Performances
+ Cinematography
+ BGM

Minus Points:

- Predictable Twists
- Screenplay

Final Verdict: Thriller turns Predictable.

Review by Sandeep.