They call it the Angel number, an indicator that the happenings in your life are guided by the Divine. “It’s a very relevant title,” was all Sasi divulged when asked about its significance some time ago. You could hazard a guess that the film, 555 ( Aindhu Aindhu Aindhu ) has to do with the well-known U.K. cigarette brand or is based on the English horror flick of the same name. But it’s none of these.
Aindhu Aindhu Aindhu is a psychological thriller that dwells on sublime love and the trauma it leads to. Of course, the title has only reasonable relevance. The first part oscillates from the present to the past and back. The second stays put in the present for a while before the cuts to the early days of the villain unravel the suspense.
Revenge in all its ramifications has been beaten to pulp in cinema. But 555 deals with it from a perspective that’s suspenseful till almost the end. Whether it’s entirely convincing or not is for you to decide. Arvind (Bharath) and Liyana (Mrithika) meet and fall in love, though not everyone around her is going to allow the young ones to live happily. As Arvind probes, the plot thickens and he realises that matters are much more sinister than he ever imagined …
It’s time Bharath tasted success, what with a few of his past releases meeting with lukewarm response. The actor has slogged it out literally and sports abs that stun, and emerges with a performance that impresses. Equally spontaneous in the lighter and the heavy moments, Bharath is commendable. 555 should be an important film in his career.
If our heroines are cheerful, it can only mean that they are necessarily naïve or even foolish. Following the dictum to a T is Mrithika whose role is more or less like those portrayed by Genelia. (The dialogue also mentions it.) Earlier, Sasi brought Parvathi Menon of Maryan to the Tamil screen with Poo . This time it is Mrithika, who again shows much promise. Her looks remind you of Revathi in the past.
Santhanam should feel glad to have been associated with 555 . He doesn’t indulge in the usual dialogue-oriented comedy here — humour is only a facet of his character. Transcending mindless fun, he shows his mettle as an actor who can prove himself in serious segments.
The character of the don borders on the ridiculous at times mainly because Sudhesh Berry, who plays the part, is unable to pull it off.
The loudness in the name of music in the ‘Rowdy Girls’ number, touches the nadir in the ‘song’ that begins with the word, ‘Ezhavu’! (Can you believe it?) What was John Vijay doing in the sequence? You don’t see him before or after that!
555 comes as a surprise from Sasi, whose Sollamalae, Roja Koottam and Poo gave the impression that his forte is gentle romance! Of course, he had sautéed love with some action in Dishyum , but this time violence reaches gory levels at certain points that you actually feel sorry for Bharath who seems to have undergone much physical agony for 555 . The U/A certification for the film isn’t surprising.
The repeated assault on the psyche of the hero is more or less on the lines of Vishal’s Samar . The genre is the same, but Sasi’s treatment is indisputably better.
The problem with 555 is that it has ever so many knots, which are allowed to pile up for too long. Then begins the onus of untying each of them! In the process a slight restlessness sets in. Either the story could have been simpler or Sasi’s screenplay could have been crisper.
But Bharath’s toil should reap dividends. Bravo!
