Amaran Movie Review: Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi champion a film on Major Mukund Varadarajan, with subtle performances and clean writing

3.5/5

Amaran Movie Story

Also read: Sivakarthikeyan Interview: After Amaran screening, an army officer said I was in the wrong profession

Amaran is the biopic of Major Mukund Varadarajan (played by Sivakarthikeyan), who was part of the 44th Rashtriya Rifles stationed in Kashmir. He married Indhu Rebecca Varghese (Sai Pallavi) from Kerala after falling in love with her during their college days. Amaran is a film that traces the emotional journey of Mukund and Indhu and their fairytale love story that transcends life.

Amaran Movie Review

If there was one thing director Rajkumar Periyasamy was determining in describing what Amaran is, he said it to be a slice-of-life drama taken from the pages of a soldier’s life. Taking the life of late Major Mukund Varadarajan, Amaran truly holds to the statement, as we see the life of a man who aspires to serve the Indian Army while being a spectator in each stage of his life.

At one point in Amaran, Indhu’s father, who had been so adamant in not letting his daughter get married to an army man, says he was “defenseless” when the man came down himself to ask her hand. It is not because he was merely Mukund, but a military officer. Such is the power and respect the defense force carries, and Amaran beautifully summarizes this in few actions and even fewer words. Amaran begins off as a love story, and the typical boy meets a girl at a college cultural program. But soon, it transcends into a story of a man who is surrounded by his partner and family who witness his love for the country and show theirs to him, by standing by his side. Perhaps, the best aspect of this is shown, when Mukund and Indhu are on a phone call, as we see a militant attack breakout. The firings, shouting, and hassle go on, and amid this, you hear the cries of Indhu who is overhearing this through her cell phone. Amaran carefully strings moments one by one, and the narrative is what makes Amaran a beautiful ode to the life of Major Mukund.

One of the major highlights of Amaran is how it delectably balances being a love story and, at the same time a character study of who Mukund is. His infectious energy becomes a natural charm and Sivakarthikeyan eases into it. A scene where he is shown teaching their daughter a Bharathiyar poem on courage, which soon becomes a cheer song for Rashtriya Rifles en route to an assignment, becomes a moment of goosebumps. If Sivakarthikeyan brings Mukund back to life, so is Sai Pallavi brilliant as Kerala-native Indhu, whose resilience and vulnerability have enough screen space to shine. A special mention in the scene when she hears the big news. But a fair share of the cake also goes to Geetha (Geetha Kailasam), Mukund’s mother, whose maternal sentiments combined with hilarious one-liners, become a point of relatability. It is in moments like this you feel Mukund isn’t anyone else, but someone who had lived and breathed with us not until a while ago. Rajkumar also manages to chip in references of Thuppaki, Endhiran, and Anbe Sivam, which does not seem to stand out like a sore thumb. Instead, it becomes delightful to watch the men at borders too, get chatty and laugh like one among us.

Amaran, which is majorly set in Kashmir, throws light on certain military assignments that are derived from the volatile ground that the place is. Amaran becomes a little wary when it does not want to politicise the situation, and merely sticks to the Indian Army’s serving the country for its safety. The production values of Amaran are on par, and even as the action sequences might lack some consistency, still do the job well by delivering emotional results.

Also read: Director Rajkumar Periasamy Interview: On Amaran, mounting a military project and casting Sivakarthikeyan 

The sweetness in Amaran is the moments it builds on. When Indhu asks her husband to keep a photo of hers in his wallet, or Mukund asks his parents to unveil his stars after passing from Officers Academy, the film invites characters from his life to be part of the emotional journey. Amaran builds moment after moment in Mukund’s life with the help of those around him, and the narrative plays a huge part in savoring the film.

Amaran Movie Verdict

Amaran clearly aims to put Mukund Varadarajan’s life in focus, by talking about his work and the people in his life. With Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi at the fore delivering powerful performances, the beauty of Amaran is that it never wishes to be a heavy viewing. It is a film that carries all core emotions, and even some painful ones, yet manages to be light with its clean screenplay and subtle performances.