Director Anbazhagan gave the little gem ‘Saattai’ one of the best films of the new millennium and has followed it up with ‘Roobai’ which has the core plot that money is the root cause of all evil. Is he as effective as his remarkable debut is a big question mark.
Bharani (Kayal Chandran) and Babu (Kishore Ravichandran) hail from Theni and are co-owners of a truck, which is on the verge of being confiscated by the financier. After offloading at Koyambedu on a trip the duo trying to make some extra cash agree to shift the house of Kungumarajan (Chinni Jayanth) unaware that he is a fraudster who has no intention of paying them. However Bharani falls for Kungumarajan’s daughter Ponni (Kayal Anandhi) instantly and much to his delight the house that they were supposed to move in is denied to them and the boys are stuck with the load. In the meantime Mani Sharma (Harish Uttaman) robs a bank and at a police check post, loads his bag full of money into the truck. Kungumarajan suffers a heart attack when they discover the loot and thereafter the foursome start using the money while the psychotic robber is hot on their heels. What happens next forms the rest of the screenplay.
Kayal Chandran probably accepted the role because it is the production of his mentor Prabhu Solomon, as there is nothing for him to do except almost ogle at Anandhi most of the times or spread his hands wide and shake his legs during the song bits. Throughout the film he does not get a chance to score anywhere for no fault of his. Kayal Anandhi fits the role of the lower middle class Ponni to the T but just like her debut costar is not given any opportunity to make a big impact. Chinni Jayanth back on screen after a long time has grabbed the meaty role with both hands and has given an impeccable performance as the fraudulent Kungumarajan and is also good when he gets a chance to be decent for a while. The co-producer Kishore Ravichandran as the earnest friend Babu makes a good debut and is flawless. Harish Uttaman is convincing as the ruthless robber who kills indiscriminately. Special mention is due to the actor who portrays the role of the collection agent who unwittingly becomes the villain’s aide and meets a sad end. R.N.R. Manohar and Marimuthu as the cops are tidy as usual
The major pluses of ‘Rubaai’is the natural performances of the cast throughout and the quality technical work of the crew. The dialogues are simple yet powerful like for example, at a high class restaurant when Anandhi and the boys have a good meal, Chinni who can only take safe food remarks that money and happiness are bitter enemies through the generations. The slow paced film gathers momentum near the interval with a nail biting sequence and a fairly good interval block. Similarly the climax also is tempered up with tension and action.
D. Imman’s songs are pleasant to hear, but lack recall value and as usual scores his points in the background score. Cinematographer V. Ilayaraja has done an excellent job of keeping the lighting, natural be it the Chennai scenes or the more exotic Theni ghats. Editor R. Nirmal is another major contributor keeping the narration flowing at the right pace and makes an impression without resorting to any fancy cuts. Anbazhagan has lifted the premise and the villain character from ‘No Country For Old Men’ directed by the Coen brothers which is one of the most influential films of the modern era. However, it is difficult for the audience to root for the lovers Anandhi and Chandran as there are not enough scenes to build their love organically. Unlike Anton Chigurh, played chillingly deep by Javier Bardem in ‘NCFOM’ Harish Uttaman’s character is written on the surface level and hence is not potent enough to match one of the greatest villains in world cinema. The killer leaves a blatantly clear trail and the cops still take time till the climax to near him. Similarly, there is no tension or feeling of impending danger to the heroes as their tormentor is just one step behind them all the time and we know their fates much before it arrives. The forced tragic climax also does not make the slightest impact whatsoever.
