Unique Tamil film with a teddy bear is let down by a very poor screenplay

Starring: Arya, Sayyeshaa, Magizh Thirumeni Director: Shakti Soundar Rajan

WRITER-DIRECTOR Shakti Soundar Rajan is known for attempting out-of-thebox subjects and has done that again with this unique Tamil film, which premiered recently on streaming site Disney Hotstar.

With a mix of live action and special effects, it is the first Indian film to have a talking teddy bear as one of the protagonists.

A young female college student with a rare blood group suffers a serious injury while trying to help someone who has been in an accident.

Then in hospital she becomes the victim of a gang trading in live organs. While in a coma, her soul gets transferred into a giant teddy bear, which comes to life. The teddy bear then teams up with a tough loner with a super brain and together they take on the gang, which is operating out of Azerbaijan.

There was a potential for this to be like 2012 fantasyaction blockbuster hit Eega, where the protagonist is reincarnated as a housefly and takes revenge, but the unique idea is let down by a poor screenplay.

Like Eega, the film starts off interestingly enough and has a strong set-up. Instead of becoming more interesting, the story gradually starts to fall apart and soon becomes annoying and not even the cute teddy that comes to life is enough to sustain the audience’s interest. Not surprisingly, there are plenty of plot holes.

The other thing that lets the film down is the surrounding characters, including an annoying villain. The only real positive is some decent enough special effects, solid music and a strong performance from popular star Arya.

The writer-director should be commended for trying something different. Unfortunately, this just isn’t a path-breaking film with cross-generational appeal and what remains is a great idea that is let down by poor writing.

Watch with lowered expectations or better still find Eega instead.