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Yaman movie review: Vijay Antony film is a watchable political drama

Yaman is a political thriller that follows the story of Tamilarasan (Vijay Antony), who goes from being a nobody to a powerful political leader in Tamil Nadu.

Yaman movie cast: Vijay Antony, Miya George, Thiagarajan
Yaman movie director: Jeeva Shankar
Yaman movie rating: 2 stars

Music composer-turned-actor Vijay Antony cannot do what mass heroes in Tamil films do as the audience may not accept him that way at present. His latest film Yaman (Lord of Death), directed by filmmaker Jeeva Shankar, seems to be an attempt to establish him as an up-and-coming hero of the masses.

Yaman is a political thriller that follows the story of Tamilarasan (Vijay Antony), who goes from being a nobody to a powerful political leader in Tamil Nadu. His path to prosperity and success is paved with the corpses of those who helped and opposed him. And the filmmakers rightly titled it Yaman, which is a nickname given to Tamilarasan’s character in the film as both of his parents died within a week of his birth.

Tamilarasan goes to jail in an accident case in place of someone who paid him off. He needs the money for his grandfather’s operation. It is in the jail that he makes both friends and enemies who help him realise his political ambitions. The film is smart, witty and even engaging to a large extent but after a point of time, the pace and the length of the movie tests the patience of the audience. Jeeva avoids unwanted punchlines and rude jokes in the film, which works in its favour.

All the characters in the film have a purpose and contribute to the progress of the story to some level. The film also marks the comeback of veteran actor Thiagarajan, who has played a key role in the film. He has delivered a convincing performance in the film as a selfish and cold-hearted politician. Miya Georg has played the female lead in the film. She plays the role of film actor called Ahalya who falls for Tamilarasan. After she gets married to Tamilarasan, she gives up her successful acting career and ends up doing household chores. Women empowerment, go to hell.

Jeeva, who introduced Vijay as a lead actor with his 2012 film Naan, has tried to help the actor click with the masses with Yaman. It is a watchable political drama, which has come out at the right time in the light of the ongoing political crisis in Tamil Nadu.