Before Vikram Prabhu debuted as an actor, he busied himself by learning the ropes of production working at Sivaji Productions. And it’s probably the knowledge gained then that gave him the confidence to start his own production company First Artist and produce his own movies. Neruppuda is the first offering from this banner.
The movie begins with a fire accident. Five young men take on the fire and save the many a life. But these are not professional firemen, but aspirants of the job. Led by Guru, this team has Parthi, Das, Samba and Dana. This group of five friends have just one goal, to become fire fighters. They have the support and help of Narayan, the zonal officer in the fire department. They are all geared towards preparing and clearing the written exam so that they can go on to becoming firefighters.
One day before their exam, Dana accidentally kills a man. When he confides to his friends, Guru suggests that they go to the police and confess everything. But things do not go as planned. The dead man turns out to be Sada, the right hand man of a rowdy Pullianthoppe Ravi who decides to take revenge. In the process of saving themselves from Ravi, Guru and his friends fall into one problem after another. How these problems affect their dream of becoming fire fighters and if they are able to achieve it forms rest of the story.
Neruppuda directed by debutante Ashok Kumar seems to be the best way to jet-set a production house because, besides being the story of a group of firefighters, the movie also talks about the flame that burns within a person, driving him to achieve whatever he sets his mind on. Ashok Kumar has tried to include several elements in the narrative and is successful in some of them.
Sean Roldan has composed music for the movie. 'Enga Pona' remains in the mind, especially since it is etched into the narrative. The background score compliments the screenplay well.
RD Rajasekhar handles the cinematography andThiyagu has edited the movie. The fire scenes and action sequences are pacy and edge of the seat thrilling. For a movie of this genre, stunts play a very important role. Subburayan is the man behind the dangerous actions that we see on screen. The action sequences are thrilling, especially the scenes involving fire fighting.
Among the cast, Vikram Prabhu has given a dedicated performance as Guru. Ponvannan plays his father. Their relationship is sweet and both actors have conveyed it well. The actors playing Vikram's friends support him well. They have their moments, be it comedy, action or emotion. Nikki Galrani as Vasumathi is pleasing to the eye. Rajendran as Kabali is hilarious. His entry on the screen is as dramatic as Vikram Prabhu's. Aadukalam Naren, Madhusudhan Rao and Nagineedu have done their parts well. Sangeetha's appearance on screen is shocking and does leave a reasonable impact.
Thumbs Up
Vikram Prabhu and Ashok Kumar's attempt at telling a different story within the parameters of a commercial movie.
Sangeetha's short yet superlative role.
The fire scenes and action sequences are well shot.
Thumbs Down
The pace of the story telling slows down at some places.
The songs are good to listen to and have been picturised well, seem to be a one too many.
Verdict: Vikram Prabhu's Neruppuda is a sincere attempt that has a good mix of action, suspense, comedy and drama.
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Verdict: Vikram Prabhu's Neruppuda is a sincere attempt that has a good mix of action, suspense, comedy and drama.
