'I' - Big is not Always Great (IANS Tamil Movie Review)

Jan 14,2015

Film: "I"; Cast: Vikram, Amy Jackson, Suresh Gopi, Upen Patel, Ramkumar, Santhanam and Ojas M. Rajani; Director: Shankar; Rating: **

Shankar, who wears his commercial tag like a medallion, has an addiction for making big commercial films. While he's been quite successful at it all these years, it has slowly started to have an adverse effect on his films to the extent that even the presence of a bankable star, say Vikram, doesn't add much value to the output.

In his much anticipated film "I", Shankar proves that only he can take a wafer thin story and turn it into something outlandishly beautiful yet complex, leaving you with an afterthought -- "Why can't he ever make smaller films for a change?"

Mostly known for making message-oriented films in which the hero singlehandedly takes on the system, Shankar attempts to tell a romantic tale in his latest offering, said to be made at a budget of over Rs.100 crore.

Vikram plays a bodybuilder, Lingesan, who idolises Arnold Schwarzenegger and supermodel Diya, played by Amy Jackson. If the posters of Arnold decorate the walls of his lower middle class home and his gym (which is named after Arnold), there's a box full of women's products endorsed by Diya in his bedroom.

In a funny scene, when he's caught red-handed by his friend and asked what he is going to do with all the products (holding a pack of sanitary napkin), Lingesan nonchalantly says he will use it as a pillow.

In these refreshing initial moments, Shankar helps us understand that Lingesan has extreme liking for Diya but doesn't love her yet because of their social and cultural divide. There's a wonderful scene where Lingesan's mother asks his friend what's wrong if her son is fond of a model he sees on television, newspapers and hoardings?

In any other film, he would've stalked her to the point she eventually gives in. Here, Shankar doesn't tread that path and that's a big relief. Then, the story takes a detour when Lingesan turns overnight into model Lee, soon becoming a sensation in the glamorous world of advertising and earning the wrath of a few. It is from here that Shankar's "I" ends up becoming a big budget mess and an old-fashioned revenge drama.

Shankar likes to take his audiences to vast, unknown locations even if it's not required. This time he travels to China, shoots in some picturesque locations and makes Vikram feature in a well choreographed action sequence. It's here he makes Vikram and Amy fall in love.

He feels the need to create a love triangle and introduces a gay makeup artist, played by Ojas Rajani, who lusts after Vikram. It's a shame that Shankar resorts to playing with the sensibilities of a gay character, openly mocking at the sexual orientation.

Vikram may have worked tirelessly gaining and losing weight for his role, but that doesn't make the film any less disappointing. In both the roles, as a body builder and a hunchbacked man, he makes one take notice of his potential and how far he can go for cinema.

Amy Jackson chips in with a surprisingly decent performance and has worked hard on her lip sync, at least in some crucial scenes. Upen Patel, Suresh Gopi and Ramkumar come across as misfits in their respective roles. There are far more good looking local actors who could've played Upen's part convincingly.

Given the lavish budget, "I" is visually grandiose and that's not a surprise. But the visuals don't make up for the weak script. Even A.R. Rahman's music doesn't make much of a difference but for remaining mostly soothing and melodic. Returning after a gap of three years, Shankar should've gauged the pulse of the audiences who now prefer short stories over a three-hour film.

All that's big may not necessarily be great. Hope Shankar realises that much better films can be made on a smaller canvas and much lower budget.

Tags:

'I' - Big is not Always Great (IANS Tamil Movie Review) Vikram in news news about Vikram

Swara Bhasker: 'You are our beloved dictator', Swara shares unseen pictures on daughter Rabia's birthday

Sep 23,2025

Actress Swara Bhaskar and Fahad Ahmed's daughter, Raabia Rama Ahmed, turned two today. The actress wrote a sweet note wishing her a happy birthday. She also shared unseen photos from her birthday celebration. This has been your year of walking and speaking. Swara Bhaskar shared

National Film Awards: This Indian star has won the most National Awards, beating Kangana and Big B.

Sep 23,2025

The National Film Awards are one of the highest-paid awards in Indian cinema. They are organized annually by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, to encourage Indian film artists. All preparations are underway for this year's 71st National Film Awards.On Augu

Dulquer Salmaan: Customs raid at Prithviraj Sukumaran and Dulquer Salmaan's house, find out the whole story

Sep 23,2025

The Customs Department is conducting raids at several locations in Kerala, including the Kochi residences of actors Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran. According to reports, these raids are related to vehicles imported from Bhutan. The Kerala Motor Vehicles Department has also arrived.Custom

Drishaym 3: Mohanlal prepares to deliver a triple dose of suspense, a major update on 'Drishyam 3'

Sep 23,2025

Fans are extremely enthusiastic about the films of Malayalam cinema's legendary actor Mohanlal. Mohanlal, who recently won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, is set to star in the third installment of the Drishyam franchise, where he is known for his pivotal role as George Kutty.He has now geare

Bigg Boss 19 Contestant: Bigg Boss's house will become an arena, and this international player will enter Salman Khan's show!

Aug 21,2025

The new season of Bigg Boss, one of the popular reality shows of the television industry, is going to start in just three days. There is a lot of excitement among the audience about the show. Meanwhile, the most talked about contestants coming in the show is. The curiosity of who will be a part o

Priyanka Chopra: Kareena, who was the enemy in 'Aitraaz', praised Priyanka, wrote- 'Made to rule the world'

Jul 18,2025

Priyanka Chopra is celebrating her 43rd birthday today, i.e. on 18th July. On this special occasion, the actress has been congratulated by her film 'Aitraaz' co-star Kareena Kapoor in a different style. Kareena shared an old picture of an award show on Instagram Stories and wrote that Priyanka w

Vidyut Jamwal: Vidyut Jamwal is ready for his Hollywood debut, will play a strong role in this film

Jul 15,2025

Actor Vidyut Jamwal, known for his action, is now going to make his entry in a Hollywood film. He has joined the star cast of the live-action film 'Street Fighter'. It is a film based on an iconic video game franchise.Vidyut's Hollywood entryAccording to a Deadline report, Vidyut will be seen i

Vijay Deverakonda: New update on Vijay Deverakonda's film, Kingdom's new release date will be announced today

Jul 07,2025

Vijay Deverakonda has joined hands with famous director Gautam Tinnanuri for the action drama film 'Kingdom'. There is a lot of excitement about the film since its announcement. The recently released teaser has further increased the expectations of the fans. The new release date of the f