Loud and fierce men, flying SUVs and shimmering billhooks are a package that comes with all the movies of Hari and he himself has always been confirming that this is indeed his style.
Poojai has it all and this time Vishal, after experimenting a tad with his performances in his last two outings, has come out with an out and out commercial action movie, just to treat his hardcore fan base, this Deepavali.
Poojai is a story of Vasu (Vishal), who accidentally comes in the way of a contract killer Anna Thandavam, well played by Mukesh Tiwari. The misconceptions, coincidences and the consequences make Poojai.
Vishal brings in his macho image back and his energetic performance, tough looks and subtle expressions are the biggest strengths of the movie. Shruti Haasan, as Vishal’s love interest, plays a good-natured, jaunty girl next door and also oozes with glamour in the song sequences. Satyaraj, Radikaa Sarath Kumar, Prathap Pothen, Thalaivasal Vijay, Jayaprakash, Kousalya and Sithara bring experience to the table.
Though forced, the comedy sequences do work decently, thanks to Soori, Pandi and Imman Annachi’s comic senses and timings.
Yuvan is functional in the background music and songs. Like in all Hari movies, cinematographer Priyan and editors VT Vijayan and TS Jai have delivered rapid visuals, which at certain stunt sequences don’t present us opportunities to question about its implausible nature. At the same time, the stunt choreographer must be appreciated for his work in the pre-interval action block.
As for the noticeable minuses, the film has a torrent of juvenility in terms of scene design, particularly the intro sequences of the central characters. However, once the main story gets going, all is forgotten and the director takes us through a roller coaster in the first half. But it feels like Hari loses the grip post interval a bit and the film plods in the second half, with misplaced song sequences and repetitive action blocks.
All said and done, Poojai is still a watchable entertainer to spend time on, with your family on a festive day.
Verdict: Watchable typical Hari-formula emotional action drama