Naane Varuven

Selvaraghavan and Dhanush and back together after a decade and this time, they choose yet another dark theme. With a short runtime and clean screenplay, ...

Follow us on [also read] [Entertainment](https://www.firstpost.com/category/entertainment) [Jahaan Chaar Yaar movie review: Four women in search of freedom, four fine women actors in search of a good script](https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/jahaan-chaar-yaar-movie-review-four-women-in-search-of-freedom-four-fine-women-actors-in-search-of-a-good-script-11268451.html) Fortunately, the short runtime of 2 hours and 11 minutes, and a clean screenplay ensure that the film doesn’t become too much of a drag. Especially the way they arrive at a resolution to the central conflict is just laden with unnecessary weight. He lights the skirt of a girl in the neighbourhood on fire and does it purely for cheap thrills. In Mayakkam Enna, the two of them explored the depths of depression. Unfortunately, his widowed mother decides to abandon him instead of finding a way to treat him, or leave him to the authorities. One that wanted to believe that he deserved a family. Only, unlike the real-life relationship, the one in their film is filled with danger, trauma, physical and mental abuse. In Pudhupettai, the two of them painted the town red by delving deep into the life of a thug. With a short runtime and clean screenplay, Naane Varuven’s exploration of psychopath is intriguing. It is as if the makers want the audience to get ready for a misfortune to strike Prabhu’s family. Research papers suggest that psychopaths show symptoms of their condition as a child.

Naane Varuven movie review: Dhanush and his director brother Selvaraghavan, known for hits Kadhal Kondein and Mayakkam Enna, have joined hands after about a ...

[Dhanush](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/new-still-from-dhanushs-captain-miller-out-priyanka-arul-mohan-sandeep-kishan-join-the-cast-8161550/) as Prabhu (he plays a double role in the film) seems a bit odd and synthetic. We also have Yogi Babu as the ‘hero’s friend’, who is irrelevant to the film’s proceedings. Another such gaffe is actor Prabhu playing a psychiatrist (Prabhu), who also happens to be a spiritual healer. Prabhu realizes the ghost of his past is back to haunt him. It is a pity that it only remains an idea and never develops into a flesh-and-blood film. The film, written by

With a potent lead in Dhanush, and good child actors, this could've been a far more effective film had the writing cared to reveal characters beyond the ...

Is it a promise of a sequel, is it a hark back to the astrologer’s warning of impending death, or is it simply about a cynical worldview that evil will persist, no matter what? The rest of the story is entirely about a hunter’s son hunting down his father, through a supernatural route. For all the regressive mishandling of characters, there’s one moment that rings a bell of progressiveness. With a potent lead in Dhanush, and good child actors, this could’ve been a far more effective film had the writing cared to reveal characters beyond the plot. The wife played by Indhuja and the ghostbuster gang of youngsters, are either severely underutilised or are pitched at such a tone where we’re laughing at them. Our knowledge of Prabhu’s past adds to the ominous nature of events in the present. This is a story about the after-effects of childhood trauma on brothers. The editing too, comes in handy in a couple of moments that are meant to be driven by the scares. But the film never tries to explore the root cause of Kathir’s trauma. Multiple instances like the latter keep taking the seriousness out of a film that could’ve become a genre piece had it been left on its own. The first half is a slow but measured buildup toward a subversive interval block, while the second is one long flashback immediately followed by a quick climax, with hardly any affecting in-betweens. We get expressive, cinematic moments that can only be found in a Selvaraghavan film, alongside the most banally conceived moments that are typical to mainstream Tamil cinema.