(Rating - 2/5)

I was teased by the trailers and intriguing posters. Though skeptical of Tamil director Selva Raghavan’s ability to create a magnum opus, I nodded in agreement when my best buddy invited me for Yuganiki Okkadu, expecting the movie would be at least visually enchanting.

A sense of déjà vu, however, crept in as the show schedule neared because of my bitter experiences with the recent big-budget Tamil movies - Rajini’s Sivaji, Kamal’s Dasavatharam and Vikram’s Mallanna (Kandasamy in Tamil).

Yuganiki Okkadu (Aayirathil Oruvan in Tamil), is no different. Imbecile storyline, unintelligent sequences and pathetic screenplay make it difficult to sit through the 160 minute movie. In fact, I am now concerned about the forthcoming big-budget Tamil movie Robot, starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai.

The movie starts on an interesting note where a Chola king along with his people is shown escaping to a distant place in Vietnam, after losing the battle to Pandyas. In the process, the Cholas take away the idol of Pandya’s deity and the Pandyas continue to hunt for it for centuries.

In the 21st century, an archeologist goes missing under mysterious circumstances trying to locate the Cholas, prompting the central government to send a team - led by Reema Sen and including the archeologist’s daughter Andrea, some military officers, and a group of laborers headed by the protagonist Karthi - to unravel the mystery.

The team has to survive seven traps laid by the Cholas to prevent others from entering their settlement. The rest of the film is all about the team’s dangerous journey to the Chola’s hamlet and the incidents thereafter.

The first half of the movie has some interesting sequences and subtle comedy involving Karthi, Reema Sen and Andrea. But hackneyed screenplay and some silly special effects, especially the scenes involving the deadly water-inhabitants, mar the progress of the movie. The scenes in the desert are picturized amateurishly and the make-up is highly inconsistent.

The second half of the movie has some stunning visuals, but again clichéd scenes and weak narration overshadow the special effects. The camera work is good in the second half post the arrival of the Chola king (Parthiban). The scenes are dark and reminiscent of movies such as Gladiator, Beowulf and 300. The narration of the scenes involving Parthiban is not smooth while some scenes are hard to fathom. There are some bold yet crazy and extreme scenes that are typical of Tamil films.

G V Prakash’s background score is brilliant but the songs are loud and hard to understand, thanks to the idiotic picturization. The placement of songs is not convincing either. Luckily, the Telugu version has only two songs, and about 15 minutes of the Chola king's barbaric acts were trimmed.

As for the actors, Reema Sen is bold, Andrea is sexy and Karthi suits the coolie character to the T. But, it’s Reema Sen in the first half and Parthiban in the second half who steal the thunder from Karthi.

Top 5 ridiculous scenes:

1. Reema Sen’s greasepaint is still intact even after the horrendous journey through wild forest and desert.
2. Availability of telephone signals in the mysterious land that is far off from the civilized world. Wonder which network is that?
3. The army using helicopters and reaching the foreign land (Chola's dwelling) in no time. Why didn't Reema Sen's team use helicopters even though they knew of the blockades? Also, involving army in the mission that involves slaughtering of hundreds of ethnics is hard to digest.
4. The climax battle between soldiers and Chola army; AK 47s versus swords and daggers.
5. Graphics after Reema Sen reveals that she is a Chola messenger.

Nonetheless, a decent attempt to raise the bar of Indian cinema, but I suggest you to watch at your own risk. Please refrain from taking kids as the movie has liberal usage of expletives and some erotic scenes.

PS: Tamil websites have given thumbs up to this movie. But after watching the colossal Magadheera and breathtaking Arundhati, and given the overdose of Tamil nativity, the movie is sure to bomb in Andhra Pradesh.