Amaran Movie Review

Amaran is Tamil industry Deepawali release of this year. Starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, Amaran is a biopic delving into the life and times of the late Army officer Major Mukund Varadarajan, who lost his life in the line of duty in Jammu & Kashmir, when he was only 31 years old. Sai Pallavi plays Mukund’s better half Indhu Rebecca Varghese, who is still alive.

The film is jointly produced by Kamal Haasan’s banner RKFI and Sony Pictures India. This is not the first time Sony Pictures India has produced military biopics. The famed studio banner had produced the Adivi Sesh starrer Major and the slightly more fictionalized Operation Valentine, which released earlier this year. Shreshth Movies, a banner run by actor Nithiin’s father N Sudhakar Reddy, is distributing Amaran in Telugu. This banner had previously distributed Vikram in Telugu.

What is it about?

We follow the voice of Indhu (Sai Pallavi) who recounts the life story of her slain husband Mukund (Sivakarthikeyan) in a flight journey from Chennai to New Delhi, where she is set to collect the Ashok Vir Chakra, which is India’s highest peacetime gallantry medal. Flashbacks after flashbacks reveal Mukund as a son, boyfriend, husband and father, alongside his roles in the Army as an officer trainee, lieutenant, captain and major, as the story moves from Chennai to Kashmir and back.

Performances:

Sivakarthikeyan plays the role of a lifetime as Mukund, giving it his all to play the life of this decorated army officer. This role is definitely a step-up from his commercial performances of yore. He portrays the seriousness and honour required of the role perfectly, while also lighting up the screen during the film’s more playful moments.

Sai Pallavi is another key asset of the film, making us feel so deeply with her portrayal of Indhu. Indhu’s character has a range of emotions on display, from unadulterated joy to extreme sorrow and Sai Pallavi nails each emotion with her heartfelt portrayal. Together, Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, give us a love story for the ages with Amaran.

Their onscreen relationship brings a world of dignity and pride to the original relationship of Indhu Mukund and Mukund Varadarajan, making us live the life of this couple that has sacrificed so much of each other for the sake of the nation’s safety for those two-and-half hours in the movie theatre. The supporting cast of the film, especially the actors who play Mukund’s mom and dad, give assured and poignant performances.

Technicalities:

Unlike most Tamil dubbed films, Amaran, for obvious reasons, did not have the liberty of making creative calls like, changing Chennai to Vizag. The first half of the film even has Sai Pallavi speaking Malayalam-accented Telugu, to emphasize the ancestry with due realism, while fulfilling the requirements of a dubbed language film.

Even accham illai (no fear), a famous Tamil rhyme about facing life with courage, has been retained in its original form, without any concurrent changes in its dubbed version, as this was the exact rhyme the late major teaches his young daughter Arshea. In so many instances like this, the film balances the realism required for portraying a real-life story with the demands of an entertaining pan-India genre film successfully.

The Kashmir portions of the film are also shown as authentically as possible, with the crew shooting the film in actual army barracks. The fight sequences are also extremely gritty and realistic, keeping the audience in the edge of their seats. While the songs of the film don’t have much to write home about, the background music is a winner, complementing the film’s mood with competent gusto.

The only minor disappointment here is how the title Amaran was also retained in Telugu, instead of having it changed to something more Telugu like Amarudu. This feels more like a decision OTT platforms these days are forcing on pan-India films rather than the film’s own creative call.

Thumbs Up:

Story
Direction
Performances
Action

Analysis:

Amaran is undoubtedly a film one can watch with their entire family. There is something in it for everyone, from old people to children. However, as meritorious and well-made the movie is, one cannot help but wonder if it was a right choice for the makers of the film to release Amaran for Diwali.

This is a serious, somber film that ends with the protagonist dying in a tearjerker of a scene. This is not even a spoiler, considering it is a real life story. But that does mean this is an entirely sad film. There are also many happy moments in the film. There are also moments of true courage and inspiration that make this film worth watching in the theatres. Mukund Varadarajan is more than just an army officer and the film does a great job of displaying Mukund’s multifaceted personality.

We see how he accomplishes missions using his intelligence and how he takes risks to save his fellow brothers in the unit. We also see how the Major cares deeply about Kashmiri civilians, trying his best to bring normalcy to the valley by ending the lives of terrorists who jeopardize peace and progress.

Mukund is also displayed as a fine leader, who had always kept the needs of his country and his fellow soldiers over his personal needs. The film is definitely one of the better-made military biopics we have seen in the recent times.

Verdict – Tribute to Major Mukund Varadarajan – Jai Hind!

Rating: 3/5