Why you must watch it:
- Madhavan returns to Tamil films after a longish break
- A supernatural thriller that keeps you engrossed without ridiculous spook elements and special effects
- Great visuals by PC Sreeram who shows us that he is still one of the best cinematographers around
Look out for: Dhritiman Chatterjee, a seasoned Bengali actor who plays Madhavan's blind neighbour
The Good: Unusual plot, Cinematography, Madhavan and the rest of the cast
The Bad: Songs (Also slow down proceedings), Dialogues, Slow in parts
Bottomline: Madhavan plays Manohar a successful professional who has moved into a new apartment (13B) with his brother and their families. The plot follows the strange happenings in the apartment and how Madhavan's life gets taken over by some super natural powers. Director Vikram Kumar has succeeded in a difficult genre with a clever screenplay and without the usual B-Grade horror elements that we probably grew up on! Yaavarum Nalam boasts of some terrific mood-setting camera work by PC Sreeram and eerie background music by Tubby-Parik. However the film does lag in parts and is not helped by the songs in the first half which stick out. And while Vikram Kumar's screenplay and story are novel, the dialogues are a bit flat. Neetu Chandra (As Manohar's wife) is wasted - Bad Make up and Styling! Yaavarum Nalam may not be a perfect film but it makes for good viewing thanks to a novel plot, edgy visuals and a convincing performance by Madhavan.
