Director KV Anand has churned out a neat summer treat for all Surya fans and the general audience. AVM productions 'Ayan' starring Surya and Tamannah had a grand opening. The aggressive promotion done by Sun Pictures paved way for it to become one of the most anticipated films this season. Amidst expectations, 'Ayan' made by a team of talented technicians does what it is meant to do - entertain.

Deva (Surya) is the trusted right hand of erstwhile gangster Doss (Prabhu). Even though, he is a well-educated guy with excellent academic records, his father inspires him to enter the smuggling business. For the thrills and chills, he jubilantly does the job until a new buddy Chitti (Jagan) comes in. The entire gang has an arch rival, Doss's mentor's son who wants to eradicate them once for all. His buddy's sister Yamuna (Tamannah) falls in love and romance floats in the air. The rest is all about how Surya finds the betrayer and eliminates the real enemy.

Cast & Crew

Surya sizzles onscreen with his dashing looks and elegant performance. The role suits him like a 'T' and he enacts the scenes with finesse. Undertaking abundant risk, he has performed spell binding stunt scenes that appeals. In the clichéd role of a love bitten girl, Tamannah gracefully plays her part with a tad touch of glamour. Veteran actor Prabhu's role is matured and as usual he wins with his hands down. But, it could be good if the directors allow him to be on screen till the end. Jagan as his friend and Karunaas in a deaf assistant's role had come out with a satisfactory performance.

Firstly, all credits goes to director KV Anand. The cinematographer made his maiden venture 'Kana Kandaen' that had a lukewarm response. Even though, this is his second film, expectations were at large equal to other ace directors' movies. He has made a wafer thin script into a feature film filled with action, romance and comical strips that tickles the funny bone. He deserves a pat for etching the humor within the plot and not on a parallel track. Albeit being an out-and-out commercial entertainer, the plot is still sensible.

Cinematographer MS Prabhu has captured the picturesque locales of Africa and Malaysia slickly. The gray shaded chase sequences set in Congo is spell binding bolstered with stunt choreographer Kanal Kannan's Hollywood style fights. Surya's pursuit against the black guys reminds us of James Bond's 'Casino Royale' and Leonardo Dicaprio's 'Body of Lies' cause of the quality that is near perfection. Music by Harris Jayaraj is mellifluous and soothing. The melody 'Nenje Nenje' is the clear winner and the background score is good.

Pros & Cons

The action packed entertainer is logical and sensible sans a super heroic demeanor. With astute ideas, the smugglers way of transporting goods is surprising. For a change, the filmmaker didn't opt for perfectly saddled two minute make-ups to fool the cops but fast brain work that appeases. Never seen before locations in Africa are captivating and stunt choreography awes us. KV Anand's narrative style is neat and carries the storyline forward. The handpicked locations for the songs are disparate and bring in the right feel to the tune. Surya's star appeal and Tammana's sweet looks are the highlights for the script. The rewinding style adopted to narrate the previous incidents to reveal the truth is innovative.

Even though, the motif is to say the movie is completely perfect and superb, there are trivial flaws that lag it back. The screenplay loses pace in the second half that diminishes the interest factor a bit. It should have been made taut to keep the adrenaline high. The story is too thin delving on the two gangs' rivalry deeds and near the second hour, the ever-reverting vendetta act gets repetitive. A talented actor like Prabhu?s contribution should have been utilized better with a meaty role.

In a nutshell, 'Ayan' thrills, entertains, evokes a smile at instances but then wears off near the end.


Verdict: A Neat Time Pass Flick For Summer Season