Yamapasam Review

Having your hero and his sidekick indulge in humour while a heart-searing tragedy is playing out, should beat the imagination  of one and all.  Has mediocrity evolved into insensitivity to such an extent that our filmmakers think anything sells?  But wait, howsoever mind-numbing might this Yamapasam (the Telugu version of Miruthan) be, we should thank heavens for the fact that the "commercial" story-teller takes care to have a sensible climax at least for the sake of a sequel, if not for anything else.  And yes, had this film been made by a "commercial" Telugu director, he would probably have had one additional comedian: among the doctors, irritating fellow docs by raising funny doubts about the virus!

When the other person is unable to shoot properly, a hero who is standing next to him is expected to grab the gun and do the thing for himself.  For the sake of comedy, for the sake of 'Just miss, mama!' we are made to watch such silly stuff.  Even as an epidemic that would make even a world body like WHO take emergency measures is sreading like crazy, the feeling the aduience gets is that of a localized problem (like that Jambalakadi Pamba problem, a style fit only for comedies) being dealt with by ill-equipped cops with not a hint of a para-military force being drafted to contain the ferocious virus-affected civilians instead of allowing the cops to shoot!  The only politician seen around is a buffoon.  Heroism in films like these would only get sexier if the hero is shown to be the saviour that the government with all its machinery is unable to be.

Jayam Ravi is a cop who is in the traffic department.  He has a lovable little sister who wants to get him married.  In a zombie thriller like this, the best idea that comes in the first half is that of this little sister getting a marriage broker for her brother.  The bro-sis sentiment on the one hand, the Jayam Ravi-Lakshmi Menon love story on the other precede the coming of an earth-shaking trouble.  Civilians infected with a new-born virus are on the prowl, behaving like feral dogs.  Jayam Ravi's sister goes missing amidst this.  From now onwards, it is up to Ravi to trace his sister along with his friend (played by Kaali Venkat), in the process killing hundreds of zombies.

One has to say that after the powerful roles in Thani Oruvan and Bhooloham this is sort of a demotion for Jayam Ravi.  It is only when his sister gets infected that the talented star gets a chance to emote and delivers a thorough performance, especially when he shows his love towards Lakshmi Menon.  The climax is where the film makes sense.

R.N.R. Manohar as the politician is okay and the actor playing the chief doctor who hides his infection is good.  Amit Bhargav is also in the cast as Lakshmi’s fiancé and baby Anaika as Ravi’s sister.

Facing the challenge of having to deal with 100 extras in almost every scene cinematographer S. Venkatesh has done a tremendous job in capturing the ever moving images.  Editor K.J Venkat Ramanan although is good overall could have put the scissors on many scenes in the first half.  Stunt master Ganesh deserves a pat on his back, especially for the climax where he is the backbone.

The film is loosely inspired from Night of the Living Dead.  t is strange that at this modern times television and social media is completely absent in such a disaster situation and the hero learns of the outbreak through the Thina Thanthi headlines.  How a traffic constable gets access to unlimited guns and bullets is anybody’s guess.  The scenes between Jayam Ravi and his sister in the first half test the patience of the viewers and the repeated assault of the zombies is tedious except in the climax.

Verdict:  A thriller that is a blasphemy, to say the least.

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