After dealing with matters of the heart in Kannathil Muthamittaal and Alaipayuthey, Manirathnam once again takes up a social issue in his latest film Aaydha Ezhuthu. Here he takes on politics as a whole, providing his opinion on what is necessary to cleanse it. Though the movie contains the usual Manirathnam film trademarks like strong performances, stunning cinematography and a vibrant soundtrack, it is the fresh narrative structure and the character-based rather than issue-based approach that mark the movie with the unmistakable Manirathnam stamp, raising it quite a few notches above the average Tamil movie.

Aayudha Ezhuthu revolves around three characters - Inba(Madhavan), a henchman who dreams of making it big in politics; Michael(Surya), an idealist who believes that students entering politics is the only way of cleaning that cesspool; and Arjun(Sidharth), a playboy for whom a life of fun in USA is the only ambition. The three men, from different strata of society and with radically different views on life, couldn't be more dissimilar but an incident on Napier bridge makes their lives intersect. None of their lives are the same again.

I sincerely feel that Kamalhassan and Manirathnam are the only two personalities trying to take Tamil cinema to the next level (though there are quite a few trying to pull it down to a lower level!). Not surprisingly, these are the same two directors who have attempted narrative structures different from the usual chronological structure for their movies this year. While Virumaandi let us view the same situations in two different scenarios, Manirathnam opens the movie with a crucial incident and then doubles back in time to offer us a glimpse of the lives of the protagonists leading upto it. So we see the lives of the three men in parallel timelines and get the chance to view the same incident from different perspectives. This lends a fresh touch to the proceedings.

While this organization is innovative and makes the proceedings seem fresh, the split does not seem well-balanced. Once we see the three characters meet, we are impatient to see how this impacts their lives. So we tend to be a little impatient through the flashbacks(which take up two-thirds of the movie). Madhavan and Surya have a couple of meetings, both intentional and not, before their meeting on the bridge. But Sidharth's past is completely unconnected to theirs and his flashback seems more like a romantic filler rather than an integral part of the story. Also, the proceedings once the flashbacks end seem rushed and we don't get a satisfactory payoff deserving of the buildup. The whole approach to politics is rather vague and simplistic and there no sense of closure at the end.

Manirathnam succeeds in creating three characters completely different from each other and crafting a storyline where the intersection of their lives seems completely possible. Madhavan and Sidharth both have enough shades of gray to earn our interest right away though their characters are handled differently. Madhavan's fluctuating moods lead to several raw and powerful scenes, especially with Meera Jasmine(the scene after her return from the hospital is a standout with its simmering emotions). On the other hand, Sidharth's unfocused, meandering life leads to several delightful one-liners. He is someone who says "thank you" when his father accuses him of being selfish! (on a side note, Sidharth's dad is refreshingly different and pragmatic from other screen dads who routinely scream at their good-for-nothing son). Surya at times seems perfect enough to fit right into a Vikraman movie but his idealist thoughts and ambitions grow on us easily.

Technically, the movie is top-notch as expected. Ravi.K.Chandran's cinematography is spectacular whether capturing the green outdoors or the glitzy, lighted indoors. Note especially the predominance of a particular color(red for Madhavan, green for Surya and blue for Sidharth) for each of the three main characters, that reflects their characters and attitude towards life. Rehman's tunes match the mood and fit in well. As far as song picturizations go, I was torn between the lack of the trademark, exhilarating picturizations that inhabit Manirathnam movies and acceptance of Manirathnam's intent to blend the songs in. Still, the camera's acrobatics in Goodbye Nanbaa... and the grandeur of Jana gana mana... catch the eye. Nenjam...'s picturization though was the biggest disappointment, especially considering the wonderfully naughty lyrics.

Madhavan scoops up the acting honors with a terrific performance that couldn't be father away from his loverboy image. He is completely believable as the violent rowdy and speaks volumes with his eyes. Surya continues his recent, amazing streak with another strong, credible performance. He speaks his dialogs with just the right amount of sincerity and conviction that makes the devotion of the people around him entirely believable. Sidharth clearly suffers from a Boys hangover but luckily, that is exactly the mode required for his role most of the time. Meera Jasmine gets the meaty role among the heroines and convincingly expresses the "can't live with him; can't live without him" nature of her character. Trisha's face seems to register a lot more expressions than before as she unwillingly falls for Sidharth. Isha Deol is more of a passerby in her few scenes with Surya. Bharathiraja makes a very believable, down-to-earth villain and his sly smile, especially during his conversations with Surya, is right on the mark(Surya matches him smile for smile too!).