It is not often that we see a Tamil biopic about an Indian Army officer. Amaran (2024), directed by Rajkumar Periasamy, deserves special applause for portraying the supreme sacrifice of the late Major Mukund Varadarajan. The film, starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, shines in places, but its lack of sharpness leaves its intention and identity unclear—whether it was meant to be a true biopic, a heroism film, or a love story. As a result, Mangoidiots gives it a Ripe rating, instead of its top rating of Delicious.
The story begins from the perspective of the widowed Indhu, who narrates how she met her love at Madras Christian College and how they married despite her parents’ initial reluctance. This portion, which I wish had been explored more, was brilliant. I loved the scene where Mukund introduced Indhu to his parents, and his mother’s reaction was great. Similarly well-made was the scene where Mukund meets his would-be father-in-law. The chemistry between Sai Pallavi and Sivakarthikeyan was thoroughly enjoyable. However, I was at a loss as to how a man who loves his wife with all his heart takes up an active combat role in Kashmir without even discussing it with her. I was disappointed not to see any emotional discussions that may have happened in real life—had it been included, we could have witnessed some more brilliant performances from Sai Pallavi, the actress. The story then abruptly shifts to being an educational course on India’s Kashmir problem, which I am sure most of the audience is already familiar with and does not need a crash course on. Similarly, the three to four live-action chases and sequences felt a bit tiresome for a biopic. Trimming these would have given us a tighter film and connected us emotionally better with Mukund.
As a young school student and NCC Cadet, I once visited the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai and remembered it as something larger than life, so it was special for me to see it featured on the big screen. As the young officer trainee, Sivakarthikeyan appears fit and handsome. Kudos to him for the effort he has put into playing that role. Unfortunately, this momentum is not present as he starts sporting a beard, as required by his job in the Rashtriya Rifles. Rahul Bose as Mukund’s commanding officer and Geetha Kailasam as Mukund’s mother have performed their roles very well. I wish the married life between Mukund and Indhu had been explored more. I just wish the screenplay was as forceful and impactful as the real life of Major Mukund it was portraying.
The music by G V Prakash Kumar and cinematography by CH Sai were commendable. The film will be released on OTT through Netflix.
Overall, undoubtedly, Sivakarthikeyan has graduated to the big leagues with this film, and Sai Pallavi has scored a big win with her outstanding performance here.
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