The makers of “Naane Varuvean’ denounce superstition and harmful practices like witchcraft and exorcism. This statement sets the tone for a dark, paranormal, and eerie novel about an aberrant person and his deadly psyche. The film’s pre-release ads cleverly obscured key plot points.
Selvaraghavan’s psychological action thriller uses old-school cliches. Scariness stands out more than dramatization, though.
Kathir and Prabhu are identical twins who were opposites as kids. Kathir is violent and vicious; his parents are scared of him. He haunts Prabhu. Twenty years later, Prabhu (Dhanush) is happily married with a pre-teen daughter. Kathir is missing. Soon, Prabhu’s daughter starts acting strangely, imagining a “imaginary buddy” who threatens to kill her father. Kathir (Dhanush) may return from the forest and wreck Prabhu’s life. or is there more?
“Naane Varuvean’ has an intriguing tale and isn’t overly convoluted. “Twin instinct” isn’t pretentious. Inside, there’s commotion. Many sequences in Prabhu’s house follow the time-tested horror movie structure, using stock moments (but there are just a couple of them). Prabhu plays a psychiatrist. Yogi Babu appears but doesn’t linger.
In the second half, “Veera Soora’ is used effectively. This is a well-crafted psychological thriller, but hardly a masterwork. What happens when poisonous love scares you? The theme is explored without cliches.
The film takes too much time establishing the problematic daughter’s nightmares and her father’s anguish. The film dramatizes father-daughter suffering even after the second-half flashback. Is it a hint about a possible sequel? Not yet.
Dhanush proves himself again in “Thiru” His malicious laughter gives Kathir, a human-shaped demon, weight. Prabhu’s love makes us feel his helplessness. Prabhu’s daughter’s child actor is good. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is melancholy.
