Director: Mithran R Jawahar
Cast: lshaaon, Prranali.
Language: Tamil
Streaming: Theater
Synopsis:
A kabaddi player turns savior for women who are trapped and sexually exploited by a notorious gangster.
Ariyavan 2023 Movie Review:
Jeeva (Ishaaon), a Kabaddi player, finds himself coming to the rescue of his girlfriend’s friend, Jessie (Pranali Ghoghare) after she falls prey to the gang. As Jeeva tries to protect other girls and take down the gang, he is forced to confront the ruthless and feared Thuraipandi, portrayed with finesse by Daniel Balaji.
Ariyavan is a film that touches upon the social issue of women being trapped and sexually exploited by a notorious gang led by Duraipandi. The film attempts to shed light on an important issue but unfortunately falls short of delivering a truly impactful and engaging cinematic experience.
While the film does have some decent moments of conflict in the first half, the writing and execution are often cliched, predictable, and formulaic. The cinematography is basic, failing to bring any additional emotional depth to the story.
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However, Pranali’s portrayal of Jeeva’s girlfriend adds some value to the film. The antagonist played by Daniel Balaji runs a racket through which girls are duped under the guise of love and later misused.
At one point in the film, he says, “Women are merely business, money, and products for me.” Well, the makers of this confused film, which stars from its direction credits, didn’t seem to have more noble intentions. They try to use women-centric issues as a tool to make a ‘socially-conscious’ film.
Ariyavan is a film that lacks finesse in every aspect of filmmaking, aside from the issues in its writing. The background score especially is jarring, and the customary Aigiri Nandini is thrown in for the ultimate revenge scene of the affected women.
A little effort from the music department would have been nice. And in terms of writing, the film barely gives space to explore the heinous racket network. What we get instead is just flashes of lifeless montages.
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The movie also suffers from the lack of a female voice and perspective in a story that primarily deals with what women go through in society.
Verdict: Ariyavan 2023 Movie Review
Ariyavan may not be a complete failure, but it lacks the substance and creativity needed to truly make an impact. Despite its attempts to address important social issues, the film fails to offer anything particularly new or noteworthy.
As a result, it remains an average film that ultimately fails to leave a lasting impression on its audience.
