Director Sundar C is an old hand at recycling past films and presenting them as new by adding spoonfuls of comedy but the formula deserts him in Aambala, a masala movie that is a trip through time, and not in a good way. The film is filled with tropes that would have been acceptable in the 90s. We have families that are separated because of an incident in the past, lost-and-found moments, henpecked husbands, botched up kidnapping plans, outdated athai ponnu romance, and so on. The multi-star cast, the wily hero, the over-the-top action scenes, the speed breaker songs (which, while foot-tapping, seem to belong to another film) and the noisy background score make us wonder if we have stepped into a Hari film, though this one clearly lacks the manufactured pace of that director's films. It is only the comedy scenes that keep reminding us that we are watching a Sundar C film, but even these become tiresome and even crass at times.
If the film works to an extent, it is mostly because of Santhanam, who plays a cop named RDX Rajashekar. He effortlessly makes us laugh in the scenes where he becomes the victim of bad luck. But once the actor exits the frame, the first half becomes tedious with plot developments that can be seen a mile away. Even in the second half, it is only after his return that the film gets some energy, and the scene where he makes his re-entry like a mass hero is ingenious and humorous. The climax involves hundreds of henchmen but mercifully, Sundar C uses them for comedy and lets the hero fight only the villain and his son. Stunt master Kanal Kannan, who plays one of the henchmen, is a riot in this sequence.
The film begins with Saravanan living as a fixer who organizes crowds for political meetings (There is even a blatant dig at the present incumbents of Nadigar Sangam when Vishal tells a character who asks him if he is aspiring to get his post, 'Unga velaya neenga ozhungaa senjaa naan yaen sir unga edathukku varen?'). He meets Maya and falls in love with her but he is told by his mom about his separated dad, Aalavandhan. He goes to find him and gets two brothers in the process and also learns how Aalavandhan has been ostracized by his sisters for being responsible for their father's death. So, his mission becomes reuniting the family and fulfilling his father's wish of his sons marrying his sisters' daughters.
One reason why Aambala ends up as a mild disappointment (especially for fans of the director's comedies) is because of how convenient most plot developments are. Saravanan just lands up at his native place and finds his dad immediately. Maya conveniently turns out to be his aunt's daughter so that he will not have any dilemma in choosing between love and his father's wish. The police station at the place is empty just in time for them to pose as cops. When Saravanan gets arrested, Rajashekar turns up in the next scene after having gone missing on screen till then. Even the villain makes things simple by boasting about his hand in Aalavandhan's father's death just before the climax so that it is easy for the sisters and their brother to patch-up.
All these only make us wonder if Vishal, who has been choosing interesting scripts of late, and Sundar C, who has been in good form since Kalakalappu, embarked on this project just to put behind the disappointment over the delay of their unreleased film Madha Gaja Raja. Or, would that be too convenient an excuse?
