Yagam

First things first, our filmmakers must get their lessons right when they are scripting revenge dramas.  The audience who have liked a Ghajini, to be sure, cannot tolerate a milk-and-water delivery like this.

Years after delivering the well-executed Thammudu and neatly-told Gowtham SSC, Arun Prasad comes up with a supposedly racy thriller, and falters, rather terribly.  Set in Bangkok, the film begins off well, but falls in grace, way too early.  The ensemble cast - Navdeep, Kim Sharma, Bhumika, Rahul Dev, Ajay and Harshvardhan - and technical biggies like Mani Sharma (Music), Marthand K Venkatesh (Editing), Bharani K Dharani (Cinematography), try to make it a brilliant film, but it is only a handful of them who do justice to their jobs, while others, including Navdeep and Mani cause a heartbreak.

The story begins with a promise.  Danny (Navdeep) comes across as an extraordinary youth, working as a barkeep at a Thai restaurant, when he smooches a cobra, serenades the beauties and beats up the cops.  Mysteriously, strange psychotic delusions visit him, in which he sees someone getting brutally murdered.  The head game is great, so you think.

The hallucinatory experiences cause great confusion in him.  More so when they come true.  Sanjay Arya (Rahul Dev), the businessman is a puzzling presence.  More bewildering is the death of the air hostess and a politician.  How is everything interlinked?  Can Navdeep ever know the secret behind the mystery?

Yagam falls short on delivering on the potential and possibilities it initially suggests.  It goes the bog-standard way, to put it mildly.  Oodles of suspense thrown up by the quislings - Danny himself, at one point, and his girl friend Sophie (Kim Sharma ), goes amiss, later, when the film points at an intriguing story.  In a foolhardy flashback, Danny reveals his hurt past.

What follows next is to be seen on the big screen.

The problem with Yagam is that it loses more opportunity than one, to come a fair entertainer.  Ajay and Harshavardhan, the cops, put up the best performance, but the characters are no assets when it comes to taking the film to another level.  They end up being just comedic, with the scriptwriter refusing to endow them with better share to logically conclude mysteries.

The director and his team fail each other.  With the exception of, of course, Bharani the cinematographer.  His dizzying camera is excellent.

Navdeep oozes charm, not acting finesse.  He might, hopefully, mature in the coming years.  Kim Sharma chips in a credible performance.  Ajay and his sidekick are good.  Bhumika - well, chances are you will not remember her after the final credits roll.

What about Rahul Dev?  Arun Prasad doesn't care a damn to use his presence for the better.  You will feel he has been utterly wasted.

You could say, Yagam is an opportunity lost.  There is inspiration; what is lacking is, imagination.  Worse, as you watch the proceedings, you sense a feeling of complacency in the director and his team about their work.

All in all, Yagam is not a cool watch, but you can take your call.

Released on: 19th March, 2010