An eerie take on darkness and deceit

A narrative of crime and punishment, layered with a parallel track of emotional interplay can promise a good watch. ‘Cheekati Rajyam’, a remake of the 2011 French film Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night), is one such attempt. The ambience is befitting a Hollywood-style racy movie and the lighting and the mood of the film complementing the intense human drama efficiently.

The immensely experienced Kamal Haasan, also the joint producer, maps the range of the film well and brings in a powerful star cast. All of them are well-known names—Prakash Raj, Trisha and Kishore—apart from a few regulars of his banner who present a 128-minute thriller. He wraps around his creation with a collection of young talent, right from the debutant director, Rajesh M Selva to his recent favourite, Ghibran, who adds an exciting background score.

The rollercoaster of events, which takes place at a single location (a night club frequented by young things) for nearly two hours running time is an engaging game of one-upmanship between corrupt cops and sleazier drug peddlers. Into this is wrapped the life of an undercover cop, the sacrifices he makes, the few moments of endearment he shares with his rebellious teenage son and how things come around in the end.

Playing to his strength and staying within his limits of lady-killer appeal, Haasan’s Diwakar is a character which is the casual, strong one. Unlike the invincible James Bond, Kamal is battered and remains under pressure, for most part of the film, trying to execute his single-point mission of busting the drug gang and rescuing his abducted son. The usual additives to his onscreen presence— the intimate scenes with the female stars, the sensuous appeal he kindles among them—continue in this action thriller too, albeit in a muted manner.

Post-interval, even as the film is well set to maintain the built- up tempo, the prolonged scenes at the night club tends to get repetitive and monotonous, devaluing the intense performances of the top stars. The double-crosser cop and his senior who pursue the coveted drug consignment seem to be straight out of a routine crime flick, which has been seen many a time in many Indian films.

The climax, which is a deification of Haasan with an adoring Trisha in tow, seems a tame end to what is an intelligently conceived film. Also, the feeling is inescapable that this non-stop action movie, based on a familiar plotline, is a little too late for the 60+ hero, unarguably one of the leading lights of the Indian film industry. However, it is a welcome, contrasting presence to the repetitive horror flicks and amateurish hero worship films churned out by the local film wallahs.

Film Name : Cheekati Rajyam

Cast : Kamal Haasan, Trisha and Prakash Raj

Direction : Rajesh M Selva

Genre : Action-drama

Likes : Lead performances

Dislikes : Routine climax

Rating : ***

By K Naresh Kumar