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EXHAUSTING EFFORT ( At the Box Office )

JANA

(Tamil)

(Now showing at Galleria Cinema and other theatres in the UAE)

that he committed with a once earthy, endearing Mohanlal in Malayalam, making him monstrously larger than life.

Ajith is a man whose threshold for tolerating evil is dangerously low and with no wiser counsels prevailing, decides that he is the people's choice to kill the villains first and ask questions later. The evil forces - Siddique and Riaz Khan - are not exactly sitting back, meekly twiddling their thumbs and so wreak revenge by killing his mother Sri Vidya and police officer brother Manoj K. Jayan. And with a father - Raghuvaran - who is reduced to a vegetable Ajith flees Mumbai and comes to Thamarapaadi village to start life afresh. Alas Siddique follows him there, only to be squashed like rotten cabbage and there ends the flick with Ajith walking victoriously towards the camera with the chorus in the back ground screeching, Jana, even as we look around desperately for deliverance of some kind.

Ajith looks dashing, debonair, delightful, but if that alone is enough he could have been on the ramp as a mannequin for clothes rather than on screen trying histrionics. It is not as if he lacks the talent, he just lacks the inclination, for each effort is half hearted and it is evident even to the dumbest of dumb that he has not walked that extra mile or given his best to any shot. The indifference hits you between your brows.

Sneha as his female interest is a pesky brat but mercifully does two unimaginative numbers with Ajith and stays out of people's way and hair. Director Shaji Kailas has used Jana as a platform to exhibit his fond loyalty for his Malayali friends and so we see Rajan P. Dev scurry in and out of a 2-minute scene, Bindu Panicker somewhere making her presence felt briefly, Babu Raj who flexes his muscle only to be beaten black and blue by our hero and Manoj K. Jayan in an insipid role. Out of the lot from Kerala, Siddique plays a character with lot of promise and delivers a different fare that holds our attention - if at least for a brief while.

The mindless killings by Ajith and the cheer-leaders singing 'Jana' each time there is blood shed is truly horrifying. They pompously announce interval with a grammatically incorrect placard saying, 'Wait, see other face,' and don't seem to care when we whimper that we are not exactly enthused about seeing the other face of Ajith. For the punishment continues relentlessly post interval.

They start the story with Radha Ravi's daughter Sneha falling in love with an indifferent Ajith, who treats her no better than a cockroach in his house and then when they shift the story to Mumbai and Ajith's murky past, they conveniently forget Radha Ravi's feud with our hero over his brat.

Next time around, wish they would get their act together before attempting a film. Again next time, hope director Shaji Kailas will stop dishing out such unpalatable fare. And a friendly word - maybe it is in Ajith's interest to stick to racing cars - for with more such cavalier flicks, he will soon be out of the race for superstardom.

Rating: Poor

Starring: Ajith, Sneha, Siddique, Raghuvaran, Sri Vidya

Cinematography: Rajiv Ravi

Music: Dhina

Lyrics: P. Vijay

Produced by: Khaja Moideen

Direction: Shaji Kailas