NGK – Movie Review

Selvaraghavan has always been considered as an actor’s directors. His ability to form a beautiful story in every frame is a legend of its own. From his highly celebrated 7G Rainbow Colony to Pudhupettai to Aayirathil Oruvan, Selvaraghavan is in every regard, a talented filmmaker. Yet in recent times, his foray into the science fiction and fantasy genre hasn’t played out well for him with general movie-goers and film critics lambasting his once critically acclaimed directorial skills.

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In the other corner, we have Surya Sivakumar, a veteran actor known for his powerful dialogue delivery and his ability to breathe magic into every character he has donned. However, even as a cinephile, its hard for me to remember the last five movies he actually appeared in. His knack of choosing scripts that play into the tried and tested role has led to questions on if his passion for acting is still as solid as it was a decade ago. Thus, NGK helmed by Selvaraghavan and starring Surya is a collaboration between two legends who are trying to regain their form in this very difficult phase of their careers.

A political action film, NGK revolves around an environmental engineering graduate who climbs the political ladder as a newbie and his rise as a politician. If you feel like the plot summary sounds familiar, you’re absolutely right. While the film starts off strongly, it takes a slow death march as it drags on and soon becomes a very predictable take on politics. Selvaraghavan is known for his intense and dark narratives but its clear that NGK did not have his signature touches.

While the visuals for the film were great, the colours used didn’t seem right. At times, it felt totally opposite to the mood board of the scene. Certain song sequences felt forced and the various characters established in the film were unnecessary or simply lost in the director’s search for a mass effect. In fact, the film felt like a commercial entertainer built to cater to Surya’s star power and image. There was a complete lack of clarity on the message the film was trying to convey and as an audience, I left the cinema feeling really confused. It is really unfortunate that a film that has all the necessary elements added to it on paper, falters in reality.

However, Surya in his role as the titular character, Nandha Gopala Kumaran is absolutely breath-taking. The knight in shining armor to this insipid tale, Surya’s charm and remarkable screen presence is scorching and he nails the complexities of his character down to the T. It is rather ill-fated that he delivers arguably what seems to one of his best performance in his career, to a film that is weak and bland. There were a couple of action sequences and a particular toilet fight scene that stood out as one of the minute positives the film had to offer, but that was pretty much the only thing close to a whistle-worthy moment.

Rating – 2.5/5 | Grade – C

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