Anniyan (2005)

English translation: Stranger
Director: S. Shankar
Story: S. Shankar
Cast: Vikram, Sadha, Prakash Raj, Vivek
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Time: 181 minutes
Bottom-line: Takes more time than it should, but an excellent film 

One of Shankar’s and Vikram’s best films, Anniyan is a vigilante film, which also provides wholesome entertainment. The film stars comedian Vivek, Sadha and Prakash Raj in the supporting roles, with Harris Jayaraj directing the music. The story is about ‘Anniyan’, a dark knight who punishes all small criminals in and around Tamil Nadu. Despite its comedy and romantic tracks, in the end, the film also asks the society to fight crime, instead of ignoring it.

Vikram as Ambi

Ambi (Vikram) is an innocent and honest lawyer, who cannot bear it if anyone breaks the law. He has a habit of always being prim, proper and law-abiding all the time, and this eventually gets him to develop a Multiple Personality Disorder, which causes a new character, Anniyan (Vikram) to grow within him. While Ambi is harmless, Anniyan is a psychotic killer. Ambi loves his neighbour Nandhini (Sadha), who rejects him because of his strict following of rules. As he attempts to commit suicide, another character comes up from within him: a fashion model named Remo (also Vikram), who is able to win Nandhini’s heart. Meanwhile, DCP Prabhakar (Prakash Raj) and Chari (Vivek), Ambi’s close friend, are following the doings of Anniyan, who viciously murders the criminals using ancient punishment methods. What happens to Ambi, Anniyan and Remo, how their characters clash, and whether or not Prabhakar is able to capture Anniyan form the rest of the film.

Vikram as Anniyan

The story mainly deals with crime in India. The film, in many ways, is like Evano Oruvan, but the difference is that in the Madhavan film, the person who fights crime is an ordinary man like you and me, where here, it is a person whom everyone knows and fears. But yet, the message is same: unless people are punished, no one gives a damn about committing crimes. Criminals are going to prosper unless they feel (physically) that what they are doing is wrong. The punishments shown in the film are very violent, but the point is the same: criminals should be punished, whether in a violent way or not.

Vikram as Remo

With this being the main track, the rest of the film is a normal drama. Vivek’s comedy is quite good at some places, but unnecessary at other places. The romance is a bit irritating, but it forms an important part of the story. The story is fast-paced and entertaining, with entertainment from all angles. Though the songs and Harris Jayaraj won awards, I did not find the songs appealing. None of the songs were good, and they only add to the running time. Yet, the score was excellent. I like the ending of the film: it is slightly ambiguous, but is perhaps the best ending one can give to Anniyan. The film is at times very violent, and while you can argue that violence can be reduced, I say that some criminals can only be corrected if the police or whoever are violent to them. The main theme of the story are also parodied in Thamizh Padam.

Vivek as Chari (left), and Prakash Raj as Prabhakar

The acting is the best part of the film. Vikram is sublime in all the three roles, and is irreplaceable. Be it the softness, humbleness and innocence of Ambi, the romantic charm and style of Remo, or the viciousness and psychotic character of Anniyan, Vikram is brilliant in portraying all of them. Sadha has done fairly well. Prakash Raj has acted superbly too, and Vivek does well to provide the comic timing even in serious times. Though several comedy scenes are not necessary, Vivek still makes us laugh during those times (like in the scenes where they go in the train).

Sadha as Nandhini

To sum up, Shankar’s Anniyan is a great entertainer, with a social message. The story is good, but perhaps thirty minutes longer than needed. However, the message it gives should really be followed by our government and people: if people are committing crimes, small or big, punish them in such a way that they don’t do it again. Whether the punishment is violent or not is not really a problem. Vikram’s superb acting, along with good performances by the supporting cast boost the film. The songs have become popular among the people, but to me, they were never that good.

My Rating: 4/5