Remo

Sivakarthikeyan’s most anticipated flick of the year is finally here and with all the pre-release business numbers and impeccable promotions, the film has garnered the highest expectations as well as the number of theatres.

Sivakarthikeyan is an aspiring actor who tries his best to grab the lead role in a film. When the director tells him that his next film will have a male donning a female character, SK tries to impress him by putting on a nurse costume. Meanwhile, he also gets to know that the girl he fell for has gotten engaged. Hence our hero uses his newly found ‘alter-ego’ to impress Keerthy Suresh, the heroine. Whether he succeeds in his mission forms the story of this rom-com flick.

This wafer thin story-line wouldn’t have had much to offer if it wasn’t for the freshness this crew of talented newbies and experienced veterans, who have worked together to present a well festooned fiasco. The primary reason to watch Remo, Sivakarthikeyan, also ends up to be the saving grace of this film on screen. Be it the first few minutes in which he sports an elegant looking beard and hairdo or the rest of the film in which he gracefully carries the feminine nurse character along with clean shaven ‘Romeo’ get up, he has proved once again that he’s a show-stealer.

The nurse getup needs a special mention. Weta Workshop, who worked on Vikram’s look in Ihad been roped in to deliver this look and they’ve nailed it. Siva looks beautiful in this role and along with Yogi Babu, the audience too will fall for him at first sight. Even with all the make-up Siva has put in extra efforts to make sure his mannerisms and emotions are conveyed and they look convincing. Oscar winner Resul Pookutty has shown his aptitude in perfecting Siva’s voice to that of a female.

Keerthy Suresh, as the confused heroine who’s placed in an awkward dilemma on to which side to pick, has done her role well. She looks charming and though the film doesn’t give her much scope to perform, she scores in a few scenes with her cute expressions. Sathish and ‘Motta’ Rajendran provide the comic relief and they do induce a few rib-tickling moments. Saranya Ponvannan looks natural as the mother who would do anything for her son’s love, a character that she has patented over the last few years. The villain, just like the action sequences, has been placed, only to provide the platform for the lead to showcase his heroism.

The strongest pillars of Remo are the ones who’ve worked behind the scenes. The film looks vibrant and full of life thanks to the legendary PC. Sreeram and sets from T. Muthuraj. The freshness they bring in with the colors make Remo a visual treat. Anirudh’s songs are one of the biggest selling points of this flick and kudos to the cuts by Ruben, as the songs have been placed aptly without hindering the film’s flow. R.D. Raja’s 24AM Studios has spared no expense in making Remo and it is evident in the final outcome.

Director Bakkiyaraj Kannan has chosen the less risky commercial romantic genre as his launchpad into Kollywood and this, to an extent, has worked in his favor. But, most of the scenes give us a ‘been there, seen that’ feel and films such as Avvai Shanmughi and Thillu Mullu will surely pop up in one’s memory. The story-line and screenplay should’ve been given more attention than what it has received as the film looks cliche and predictable.

Overall, Remo is a run-of-the-mill rom-com entertainer made better, thanks to its technical prowess and Sivakarthikeyan’s flair.