Tamil films have been inspired from cinema in many languages and director Lakshman’s Bogan is another such film. This action thriller, which takes its premise from Hollywood’s Face Off, stars Jayam Ravi, Arvind Swami and Hansika Motwani. The director has tailored it to the Tamil film audience and that’s what perhaps make it more appealing.
Vikram (Jayam Ravi) is a happy-go-lucky cop who is set to marry Mahalakshmi (Hansika) when things go haywire in his life. His father is arrested for stealing money from the bank he works in. But the CCTV footage proves otherwise. What could have transpired? It is then that his path crosses Adithya’s (Arvind Swami), a prince from an ancient royal family that is in penury. With Adithya’s entry, the film completely revolves around the relationship between the Vikram and him.
Like in Thani Oruvan, it is tough to clearly designate Jayam Ravi as the hero and Arvind Swami as the villain. In Bogan, they are, in fact, both hero and villain!
Jayam Ravi has essayed a cop before, so playing Vikram is a cakewalk for him. But it is clearly Arvind Swami who carries Bogan on his shoulders. The Roja actor seems to have finally found his groove playing negative roles, bringing his own character to them.
Arvind Swami steps into Jayam Ravi’s cop role with ease in the latter half of the film. However, his swag and style are unique and undoubtedly tough to imitate – Jayam Ravi tries his best to play Adithya, but he does fall a little short though not of his own volition.
Most of the cast and crew of Jayam Ravi’s earlier hit film Romeo Juliet have been retained for Bogan, including Hansika. Hansika looks pretty and playing Mahalakshmi is a role she seems to have enjoyed. She is a delight in some scenes like the one where she appears drunk.
Of course the film does have its flaws. Director Lakshman could have worked on a better screenplay. The first 20 minutes of the film is quite flat and it only picks up when Adithya walks into the picture. Some songs were just not required and doing away with them would have made the film tighter as well.
While Bogan may have a similar premise to Face Off, Arvind Swami and Jayam Ravi have made it an attractive film for the Tamil audience this February. Watch it as it’s one of the better thrillers we have seen in recent times.
Source: The News Minute