Payanam (2011)

English translation: Journey
Director: Radha Mohan
Story: Radha Mohan
Cast: Nagarjuna, Prakash Raj, Rishi, Sana Khan 
Music: Pravin Mani
Time: 120 minutes
Bottom-line: One of the finest thrillers in Tamil

   After seeing Radha Mohan’s previous films Mozhi and Abhiyum Naanum, Payanam was a bit of a surprise. From the director who made two great family films comes an action packed thriller. From the outward appearance, you may feel that this is ‘yet another terrorist film’, but once you start watching, you will see that Payanam is a class apart.

Nagarjuna as Raveendra (left) and Bharath as Nawaz

A plane, going from Chennai to Delhi, is ready to take-off. The people in the flight include a star actor, Chandrakanth (Babloo Prithviraj), a woman, Sandhya (Sana Khan), a man, Vinod (Rishi), a colonel, Jagadeesh (Thalaivasal Vijay), a central minister, and many others. After the flight takes off, five men go to the washroom, and retrieve hidden weapons. They threaten the people, and ask the pilot to land the plane in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. However, they damage one of the engines, thereby making the pilots perform an emergency landing in Thirupati. Enter Major Raveendra (Nagarjuna) and National Security Advisor N. Viswanath (Prakash Raj), who are assigned to save the people in the plane. Helping them is Captain Nawaz Khan (Bharath Reddy). The terrorists demand the release of another dreaded terrorist, Yusuf Khan, along with loads of money. The next evening is the deadline, and if Yusuf Khan is not brought, the terrorists will bomb the plane. What Raveendra and Viswanath, along with the help of others, do to save the people forms the rest of the film.

Prakash Raj as Viswanath (right)

So, now we have terrorists hijacking a plane, and a group of people trying to save the people and capture the terrorists. And this is a great story and one of the finest thrillers because…? Yes, I know you will be asking this question, and here is the answer. First, credit should go to Radha Mohan for choosing to make a film of the same genre. That should give an idea that a good director like Radha Mohan will obviously create something unique in the film to make it different from the other films of the same genre, and that is what he has done here.

Sana Khan as Sandhya (left) and Rishi as
Vinod

In Payanam, Radha Mohan doesn’t waste any time with deviating stuff like songs or romance. And in this film, he introduces the characters by freezing their faces and printing their names next to them, so that the audience can know. The way in which the terrorists attack the plane is also shown in a quick manner, without wasting too much time on suspense. From the first minute till the last, the script and story are taut, and all these make Payanam better than many other thrillers in Tamil.

A still showing the people of the plane

The story contains enough twists and turns to make you sit till the end, whether or not you like the film. Till the interval, almost everything goes normally, and then in the last couple of minutes before the break, the government officials, and the viewers, are hit with a major shock. Radha Mohan cleverly shows shots of all the parallel tracks going on in the film, so that the viewers can refresh themselves of what is happening. After the interval, the story moves at a breakneck pace, and as the twists keep coming one by one, the viewers are always on the edge of their seats. Towards the end, Radha Mohan also shows a timer at the bottom of the screen so that the audience realizes that he is indeed showing something that can really take place, and not just some sequence where time magically goes slowly so that the hero can win.

Babloo as Chandrakanth (left) and his fan

Another aspect of the film (and this is perhaps the best one) I liked is the way Radha Mohan has brilliantly infused a comedy track into the film. From the beginning, the comedy is created mainly due to the varied background and nature of the characters. The conversations that take place between a common man and an astrologer, the talk between the star and his adulating fan, the talk between a husband and wife, the conversation between a common man and woman are all very funny. One moment you are on the edge of your seat because of the suspense, and the next moment you are rolling back on your seat laughing. But mind you, the comedy is not at all distracting, and this is perhaps the main thing that makes Payanam a thorough entertainer. However, there is a lot of shouting and yelling, especially by the terrorists, and I feel that these could have been reduced. There was no need of so much noise.

However, there are a few unrealistic parts of the story, but the underlying fact is, if the things didn’t go the way of the anti-hijack crew, the film would have ended right there. There are a number of times where the people inside and the officers are lucky, but you have to just think of the incidents as twists of fate, and enjoy the film. The acting by the lead actors is brilliant. All the people inside the plane have also acted well, and many of them were new to cinema. Radha Mohan doesn’t waste time in giving any elaborate entry sequence for the actors, and this also helps to make the film more compact.

To conclude, Payanam is the best film from Radha Mohan so far, in my view, and easily one of the best thrillers in Kollywood. A taut story, a greatly supporting and equally entertaining comedy track, some great acting, and the non-stop action make this film one of my all time favourites. With enough twists to keep you talking about it for a long time, Payanam will certainly give your dose of entertainment.

My Rating: 4/5