Starring: Krishna, Prakash Raj, Janani, Radha Ravi, Biju Menon, Manobala, Thilagan
Direction: Neelam K Sekar
Music: Vidyasagar
Production: Talking Times Movies Pvt Ltd
The launch pad for Vishnuvardhan’s brother Krishna, Alibaba never really gave us any clue about what it was. But one realizes that the title was a give away if one is inclined to think about it on those terms. Alibaba is a story of thieves, crime and criminals. There is also a treasure which keeps coming to the protagonist. But there is no automatically opening cave entrance or any magic. Woven around this interesting premise, Alibaba tells the story of a few small time crooks finding themselves as pawns of a web of crime.
The movie begins with the city being shaken by many heart stopping crimes taking place at different places. Young women are being molested and killed with alarming frequency. Meanwhile, a small gang of crooks gets on with business as usual in the households of the city as they make away with their loot safely, thanks to the experience of their leader, Prakash Raj. They are pretty happy with their level of activity and have no plans of taking it any higher in the world of crime. But something seems to be following them. It begins first when a bank account swells by a huge amount without them having to do nothing.
Taking it as a stroke of luck, they make merry. But this keeps happening again and again, until the amount which lands in their bank starts reaching humungous proportions. That’s when Prakash Raj realizes that this is no mere coincidence. Someone was smartly using them as a pawn to cover up for other more serious activities. They were being used as the ‘third man’, a pretty common term in criminal parlance. Before they realize, all of them are caught in the web that was laid out. Who laid it out, how and why and do they eventually come out of it forms Alibaba.
Its suspense for the second time this weekend after Saroja and Alibaba is not second to its more hyped counterpart in the suspense quotient. One does not get any clue about the mastermind until the director chooses to reveal it and that is the strongest point of the movie. Thilagan, Biju Menon, Azhagam Perumal and Radha Ravi all play characters that make us suspicious and the screenplay is a clever elimination of characters one by one until only the mastermind is left. It is suspense close to its best and full marks to debut director Neelan K Shekhar for maintaining the graph consistently.
The cast can be termed as a powerhouse, especially on the negative side where we have the Thilagan, Biju Menon, Azhagam Perumal and Radha Ravi- experienced actors and their presence does bring great results on screen. On the protagonist side, Prakash Raj makes proceedings very interesting with natural ease. There are quite a few comic situations which are thoroughly enjoyable and the entire gang led by Prakash Raj does creditably well in these scenes. Raja, one time associate of Santhanam in Lollu Sabha adds to the effect.
Debutant hero Krishna justifies the launch pad that has been set up for him, vindicating the faith that his brother and father have shown. He has come up with a honest, hard working performance doing well in stunt and dance sequences, showing that he has what it takes to be a hero. A little improvement on the acting front and careful choices can keep him in the hunt for quite some time, he has the right credentials. Debutant heroine Janani doesn’t have much to do, except a few scenes.
Technically, Alibaba is a neatly made film. There is nothing out of the ordinary, nor are their any obvious flaws. Action sequences have been well handled without taking them over the top. But the music is a definite disappointment with only one item number making any impact.
Overall, Alibaba is a movie that relies on the suspense element to carry it through and the director has understood this very well, he is on the button. Anyone who likes suspense filled flicks will definitely love this one. A pretty tight screenplay, good execution and competent performances make the movie worth a watch. At the box office, its strong merits will help it while the presence of another well-made thriller (Saroja) from an already victorious team may be a bit of a dampener.
Verdict – For those who enjoy suspense