The actor within the star. Review on Enakkul Oruvan

Enakkul Oruvan is a bit of an odd picture, possibly a wild animal domesticated in its adulthood, tries out civilized conventions from time to time but eventually strays away. Directed by Prasath Ramar, in it is a mix of dreams and reality, where the intersection between these two states of consciousness make for rather amusing and bemusing results.

Vicky(Siddharth) is a theatre employee, where main job is that of an usher. He suffers from terrible insomnia, and in his desperation, decides to pop a pill that promises to cure this ailment and a bit more. This bit more involves terrific dreams that feel as real as the ground we tread on. And when dreams get blown out to such proportion - it's almost indistinguishable from a weird, drug infused trip, some may be extremely positive and completely transformational; others may seem like an absolute nightmare, the recurring image of which seems to never go away. In his dreams, Vicky turns into an alter-ego of sorts, Vignesh(Siddharth). The theatre worker also turns into an A-list movie star. Notions of reality get twisted in his head during this dream, waitress girlfriend Divya(Deepa Sannidhi) turns into a model; and employer Durai(Naren), turns into an agent. The director distinguishes this through the use of colour with Vicky’s life in colour and Vignesh’s in black and white. There is also a parallel episode where Vignesh is in coma and an investigation on which revolves around the vague pill Lucia, which is what Vicky consumes.

And the eventual convergence of these two states - where the director wants us to ponder on the nature of reality itself: how much we live in our heads as opposed to what goes on below our nose.

Siddharth’s constant effort to choose offbeat subjects is evident and he has given an effortless performance, especially the actor shines in the role of a star.  Deepa Sannidhi is a welcome addition to Tamil cinema. The movie has its ups and downs, for a debut, this is a really solid effort. Although based on a Kannada blockbuster flick Lucia, the director evidently has put in some significant thought and effort into providing at least a tinge of originality in what seems like, a spate of Tamil films that even formulas can't save. It's hard to draw the right cast for such a screenplay though, and the supporting roles as well as major aspects of the transformation involving the dreams seems a little unexceptional in its execution. Divya for instance, from a pizza delivery girl to model, comes across as a typical ad icon, slightly superficial. Similarly, Siddharth as Vicky is great with the regular levels of human ego. But paradoxically, the alter-ego that appears in the dreams should in fact be free of such solipsistic energies, and instead should seem as natural as breathing. Such levels of spontaneity are rarely achieved in the dream worlds portrayed by the director.

On the technical front, Gopi's cinematography is a huge compliment given the troubles involved in the transition between black and white and colour. Similarly, Santhosh Narayanan in the music department infuses a much needed oomph into the film. Despite few shortcomings, EO culminates into a climax that may possibly leave you melted and concentrated. It is the apotheosis of the intense.