R ARIVANANTHAM
Ambulance driver Thilakan Varman (Jayam Ravi) is imprisoned. He is granted parole to visit his ailing father. Suspicious eyes turn to Thilagan as the murders continue to happen by the time he comes out. Police officer Nandini (Keerthi Suresh) is intensifying the investigation. Who ultimately committed the murders? What is the reason for that? Why did Thilagan go to jail? – These questions are answered by ‘Siren’.
Debutant director Antony Bhagyaraj has tried to make the usual revenge story as engrossing as possible. The clash of power and truth between the police siren and the ambulance siren is striking. The first half passes effortlessly with father-daughter sentiment, online comedies, murder, investigation and flashback hints in between. Jayam Ravi – Yogi Babu chemistry and comedy are strength of the film.
- The film passes without getting bored at the speed of an ambulance with the sound of ‘siren’
- Keerthy Suresh struggles to fit into the role of a cop
- Jayam Ravi impresses with his unflappable performance as the meltingly emotional Pepper Salt as the father
The minuses are the flashbacks in the post-interval scenes that focus on the investigation, the reason for it, the formal approach and the lack of depth in the parts where the honor killing is discussed. Dialogues like “If someone says there is no caste, don’t look for his caste”, “I am in jail, if my daughter is happy, I will do the same for her” get due attention.
Trailer:
The sentiment at the start was missing in the second half. Interrogative scenes that connect some points here and there and connect them one by one are essential to the screenplay.
Jayam Ravi impresses with his unflappable performance as the meltingly emotional Pepper Salt as the father who literally melts, and the youthful appearance as the bouncy ambulance driver. The scenes where he innocently talks to Yogibabu, the scenes where he yearns for his daughter’s love are brilliant performances.
Keerthy Suresh struggles to fit into the role of a cop. Unnecessary anger in scene after scene, and attempts to pretend to be rough and tough are largely ineffective. Even when she gives a full performance, she doesn’t make much of an impact due to the weakness of the character design.
Eventhough she appears in small scenes, Anupama Parameswaran garners attention. Yogibabu’s timing comedies carry the film. Samuthirakani has done what he was given without too much. Yuvina Parthavi’s flawless performance as the daughter adds depth to the character.
GV Prakash’s music makes the songs memorable, SamCS’s background music adds to the vibrancy. Selvakumar SK’s cinematography, which contributes to the story, the car festival scene and the ambulance fight deserve a special mention.
Reuben’s ‘cuts’ have given the film an extra polish on the editing table, adding to the intensity and telling the story in an interesting manner, perfectly fitting the flashbacks amidst the events of the first half. While many of the scenes were told superficially and without pressure, the film, which is made with elements of mass cinema such as comedy, love, sentiment, fight, passes without getting bored at the speed of an ambulance with the sound of ‘siren’.
Score: 4/5
