Action King Arjun's 150th film comes with Arun Vaidyanathan who has proved his mettle with one film each in Tamil and Malayalam- 'Achamundu Achamundu' and 'Peruchazhi'. With the trailers and other promotional materials creating the much required buzz, 'Nibunan' has released amid positive vibes and let's see how the film would satisfy the audience.
DSP Ranjith Kalidoss (Arjun) is a super smart and highly efficient cop working for the CBCID. He has a caring wife (Shruthi Hariharan), affectionate daughter and a younger brother (Vaibhav) and he is the sincere family head. His trusted associates Joseph (Prasanna) and Vandhana (Varalaxmi) move along with him like an extended family as he is also an admirable boss.
Ranjith and his associates receive a box which carries a doll draped with a red coloured shirt and a mask of a goat. Within a few days a social activist Shivanand (Poster Nandakumar) is killed and left hanging in an isolated place. The murderer leaves some clues about his next target posing a challenge for Ranjith's ability to nab him. After two more murders with a similar modus-operandi. Ranjith concludes that he will be the next target. At the same time he is also diagnosed with Parkinson's disorder.
What is Ranjith's theory that made him believe that the killer is after him? What happens to him at last and what is the effect of the disease he is suffering from? Who is the killer and what is the reason for the murders? To know all these, you have to watch the film in theatres.
Director Arun Vaidhyanathan with the help of his writer Anand Raghav has managed to give a suspenseful murder mystery thriller which predominantly sustains the interest of the audience.
We have seen Arjun as a cop in many films but Ranjith of 'Nibunan' is entirely different from what he has played so far. This cop is not only smart, intelligent, playful, brave and effective. He is also matured with age and experience. Arjun displays a fantastic understanding of this multi-layered character. There are scenes that require him to behave matured for his age and in others he should be as effective as a young and fresh officer. The highly experienced actor has shouldered this challenge quite impressively. The actor and the character supplement and complement each other and end up benefiting the film.
Not only Ranjith but also the characters of his associates Joseph and Vandhana are written with interesting shades. While Vandhana is an intellectual who reads a lot of books. Joseph is street smart. They are close friends but keep on teasing each other These things add up for the lighter moments of the film and they are quite enjoyable. Both Prasanna and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar aptly fit into the shoes of their respective roles and are likeable throughout the film.
The murder and investigation part also has some interesting ideas employed throughout and detailing of the same would lead to spoilers. The family sentiment part which looks overstretched is not completely devoid of enjoyable moments. This is mainly due to the chemistry between Arjun and Shruti Hariharan who is sure to get more offers in Kollywood thanks to her beautiful presence as an upper middle class woman.
Given the way Ranjith's character has been established, it is pretty hard to digest the fact that he finds an important link between the murders only towards the interval point. The identity of the murderer and the motivation for the murders don't offer any surprise or shock value which is very important for a murder mystery. The murderer deliberately leaving clues to the police is not justified with a strong reason. After the final revelation, the film ends like a typical commercial super hero flick.
S. Navin's background score elevates the tension in the murder and investigation scenes and is functional in others. Songs are just passable. Arvind Krishna's cinematography effectively conveys the mood of the gory murders and the suspense filled investigation. However most of the outdoor night effect scenes look like mug shots and we don' know whether it has to be blamed on the time or finance constraints.
Verdict: 'Nibunan; is indeed worth your money and time for it retains the suspense element for a predominant part, there are a lot of interesting ideas and of course Arjun,
