Suriya's "Anjaan", which hit screens on 15 August, has opened to mixed reviews from critics.
Directed by Lingusamy, "Anjaan" is a gangster flick with Suriya and Samantha in the lead roles. The film also has Vidyut Jamwal, Soori, Manoj Bajpai and Dalip Tahil in supporting roles. "Anjaan" had generated huge pre-release buzz among fans, but it remains to be seen whether the film will be able to impress the audience.
Plot: Krishna (Suriya) comes to Mumbai in search of his brother Raju Bhai (Suriya), an underworld don. Through Raju Bhai's gangster friends, his past life is revealed. What happened to Raju Bhai? Will Krishna find him? All these are answered with some twists in the film.
Critics have given mixed response to "Anjaan" terming it as a typical revenge film with some mass elements. Suriya has impressed the critics with his looks, action and dialogues.
The actor has carried the film on his shoulders. Samantha oozes glamour in the film and her chemistry with Suriya looks fresh. Vidyut and Manoj Bajpai have done their parts well. Yuvan Shankar Raja's background score and the pre-interval stunt sequence are some of the major plus points of the film, said the critics.
On the flip side, the film is a bit too long. Clichés in the first half, placement of songs and predictable climax in the second half are some of the minus points of the film.
Check below the review roundup of "Anjaan"
"Suriya shoulders the movie quite efficiently amidst the lengthy cast. The thing about Suriya is that, give him any character and he quietly mushes into the character professionally. The title does justice to Suriya's vicious looks and he stuns in every aspect," according to Indiaglitz.
"Vidyut's inclusion comes as a surprise and as usual, he is suave and should send whistles from his female fans. Samantha's gorgeous looks and a dose of glamour should definitely go down well. The rest of the cast appears alien, Manoj as villain has the menacing looks, but appears stereotypical," the website stated.
"The pre-interval stunt sequence needs a special mention. Stunt Silva has made it look live and realistic. Thanks to Suriya, Vidyut gets his slice of stunts in the flashback. Dissolved characters, unfurnished villains, stereotypical narration and song placement duds the flow of the film. The comedy portion of Brahmanandham forcefully put post-interval catering to the Telugu audience, is a speed breaker to the already lurching movie," said Behindwoods Review Board.
"There are two departments in Anjaan which are flawless. One, the camerawork. Two, the music. Santosh Sivan's cinematography cuts through the locales of Mumbai with a bang, as his camera does the talking in the stunt sequences," said Siddarth Srinivas of Cinemalead.
"Director Lingusamy got the best resources he could have asked for in this film — Suriya, Samantha, Vidyut Jamwal, Yuvan, Santosh Sivan and Anthony, and it is saddening to see the end product. It is majorly because of the uninspiring and monotonous screenplay. The song placements remind you of movies made in the 1990s. The fight sequences are bland, the outcome and the subject remain the same, just that the enemies are swapped," said Sai Shyam G of iflickz.
Verdict: Fails to Live up to Expectations
