After seeing one of their fellow villagers return wealthy after working in London for 6 years, Gandhi (Vijay Sethupathi) and Pandi (Yogi Babu) decide to go abroad through any means to pay off their debts. For facilitating their travel, they approach a fraud travel agent Kumar, who advice them to get passports mentioning they are married (even though they are not) and lie in UK embassy that they are going as a tourist when their intention is to apply refugee status and work there. And what happens next is the crux of Aandavan Kattalai (ஆண்டவன் கட்டளை).
Made by the Director M.Manikandan who gave us the unforgettable Kaaka Muttai (2015) Aandavan Kattalai (AK) had lot of expectations riding on it. Taking up the social cause of exposing and educating the risks of going through scrupulous travel agents and brokers who are intervened with Government machinery in India, Manikandan has succeeded in giving a different film. The film running for two and half hours would’ve been more entertaining had the run time be limited to less than 2 hours like in Kaaka Muttai. After the first hour you are able to pretty much guess rest of the story.
Ritika Singh plays the role of a Television reporter Karmegha Kuzhali, I enjoyed seeing her in her debut in Iridhi Suttru and in this film too even though her role is limited in this. Yogi Babu has got one of the best roles in his career and he has used it well. Nasser and Pooja Devariya have done their parts aptly.
I would like to appreciate the Director for things he left out of the film – of not having any elaborate song sequences, not having any fight scenes or a TASMAC drunken scene, not showing in Police in bad light; in general not having any negative characters / villains. Some research in the screenplay would’ve made the film shine better, the idea of flushing your passport in a toilet after you land in London and apply for refugee status as a Srilankan was prevalent not now but decade(s) ago.
ஆண்டவன் கட்டளை