NGK Movie Review: Suriya Tries Too Hard but Can’t Stop Selvaraghavan’s Political Drama From Stumbling!
NGK feels like a bad political speech written on a tattered paper, that ends up being used as a tissue!
Can't believe that NGK is the film director Selvaraghavan has to offer, returning to cinema after a gap of six years. The man, responsible for giving us incredible dramas in Kadhal Konden, 7G Rainbow Colony, Pudhupettai and Mayakkam Enna, teams up with Tamil superstar Suriya Sivakumar for the first time in this political drama. The artistic sensibilities of Selvaraghavan, with a keen sense of telling powerful human stories, meshing with Suriya's superstardom should have been an exciting collaboration. Instead, NGK turns out to be the weakest fare that benefits from neither of the talents involved. Suriya Sivakumar’s NGK or Tamannaah Bhatia’s Devi 2 – Which Movie Was Worth All Your Time and Money? VOTE NOW.
NGK stands for Nanda Gopala Kumaran (Suriya Sivakumar), an engineer in environmental studies and agriculture. He ditches a cushy job to get into organic farming and inspires the youth in his locality to do the same. His good deeds for the people don't go down well with the local dealers and MLA Pandian (Ilavarasu), who create enough troubles for Kumaran.
As Kumaran seeks aid for his situation through various unhelpful government corridors, he also realises the influence politicians have over administrators. In a bid to protect the people he trust, Kumaran reluctantly joins the opposition party, KMK, starting off as an aide to Pandian. After getting an idea of how things really work in political circles, Kumaran changes gears and begins to increase his influence in KMK, while also trying to manipulate the ruling party. Soon, his popularity grows so much that both the ruling and opposition parties see him as the biggest threat to be dealt with.
NGK starts off on a good note, with Kumaran's good-heartedness and his commitment to the society are established within the first frames. The movie continues to be interesting even when he is used as a political ploy to win votes and is made to be a meagre helper for Pandian. Kumaran learning the ropes of the political games and his change of body language once he knows what works to get ahead, will definitely make your curious to know about his endgame. My interest level reached the peak when he meets the High Command and the PR head of the party, Vanathi (Rakul Preet). Ahead of NGK Release, Suriya's Fans Erect World's Largest Cut-Out Of The South Hunk!
And then, things roll down on a very steep slope!
From here on, we get this feeling that Selvaraghavan (who has also written the script) has no clue how to take NGK's story ahead. The pacing, that had been a plus point for the film in the first act, and logic, both go for a toss when Kumaran starts double games. We never really get to know the inside of the protagonist's head, and what exactly he is aiming for. The movie conveniently ignores his agrarian ambitions, as Kumaran gets deeper into the murky waters of politics.
Well, at least, the first half was bearable. It is the second half that becomes the iceberg to sink NGK to the depths and even an earnest Suriya could do little to save the film.
The antagonists, in this case, the party heads, ditch their tactical personas to act like cardboard villains, for no apparent reason. Kumaran also behaves in an eccentric manner at times, with no explanation given. Not to mention, Selvaraghavan drops in a love triangle for Kumaran with his wife Geetha (Sai Pallavi) and Vanathi that feels ridiculous to watch.
There is a fight scene in a hospital washroom (well-choreographed, though) and a couple of songs thrown in, that undo even the little goodwill the movie has for us.
When NGK tires itself riding on Suriya's mass image, it relies on over-sentimentality and emotional manipulation to get the audience's sympathy, leading to an atrocious third act. Blame it on Shankar's highly entertaining Mudhalvan, but every political drama made after it, has tried to ape its format and failed miserably. As for the political discourse in NGK, it is nothing that you are exactly oblivious of, unlike how Kumaran behaves at the start of the movie.
Both the women characters get a raw deal, despite having intriguing dimensions. Vanathi is presented as this powerful woman whom nearly everyone in her party fears. And in just a single scene, she is enamoured by the confident Kumaran and goes all the way out to help him. Because, well, that's the magnetic charm of a character, when he is played by a Tamil 'male' superstar!
Like Vanathi, even Geetha starts off on a nice note, as the strong supporting wife who can shut up her ma-in-law with one jibe. Two scenes later, she becomes this suspicious, annoying caricature who irks us every time she appears on the screen. Both the female leads made me long for heroines of Selvaraghavan's previous movies. Be it the strong-headed beauty of Richa Gangopadhyay's Mayakkam Enna. Or for the matter, a terrific Reema Sen's powerful portrayal as the manipulative Anitha in (the bizarre but underrated) Aayirathil Oruvan.
Watch the Trailer of NGK below:
Near the end, there is a scene where an injured Geetha falls on Vanathi's shoulders, the same way she enacted to her husband when Geetha thought he was having an affair with Vanathi. It made for such a lovely callback and had that Selvaraghavan stamp on it, which the entire movie was missing.
At least, NGK is photographed really well, courtesy Sivakumar Vijayan. The music and background score by Yuvan Shankar Raja is pretty much average, while the editing falters big time.
The Performances
Suriya tries too hard to make NGK an entertaining watch, with his energetic body language and powerful dialogue delivery. But there is little he can do when the narrative lets him down at several junctures. While Suriya's mass inclination may give some cheer to his fans, I found the quieter, simpler side of the actor more appealing. Especially, in the scene where he asks for his wife her permission to enter into politics.
Sai Pallavi behaves as if no one told her that the shoot for Athiran is over. Her performance in the latter portions of the film feels as if some irritating spirit has gotten hold of her body. Rakul Preet fares better with a confident act, even when her character goes into the cliched route.
The supporting cast does little to elevate the proceedings. Bala Singh, Rajkumar, Ilavarasu and Uma Padmanabhan compete with each other as to who hams the best.
Yay!
- Suriya Sivakumar
- Well Photographed
- A Decent First Act
Nay!
- Everything Else
Final Thoughts
Have no doubts, NGK is easily the weakest film that comes from the stable of the talented Selvaraghavan. Despite Suriya's best efforts, the political drama fails to take off from the ignition point and is bound to disappoint the fans of the superstar. NGK feels like a bad political speech written on a tattered paper, that ends up being used as a tissue!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 31, 2019 02:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).