Aayirathil Oruvan- a new direction in Tamil adventure genre

Tamil Cinema has been ridden by template driven forms of story telling and on that note there have been few notable successes in the adventure fantasy genre. Aayirathil Oruvan by Selvaraghavan comes as a whiff of fresh air that signifies the coming of age of Tamil cinema.The plot of Ayirathil Oruvan is not straightforward and that is what makes this film of 200 minutes duration an immensely watchable film. Tracing its beginnings to the history of Tamil culture, the story weaves itself into the present day and transports the viewer to a "future" that is but a continuum of fantasy,history and adventure all rolled into one delicious treat. The story of Ayirathil Oruvan revolves around three central characters-Muthu, Anitha and Lavanya played with conviction by Karthi, Reema Sen and Andrea Jeremiah.Anitha , a cop, calls upon Lavanya  an archeologist to help find her father, played by Prathap Pothen who has been missing in the jungles of Vietnam since he ventured to identify the hidden treasures of the Chola dynasty.Muthu is the leader of a labourer group that is hired by the police force in the pretext of  unearthing the chola treasure. Thus follows an exciting journey to trace the treasure and reach to Lavanyas father that treats the viewer to a series of situations that range from pure magic to breathtaking moments that finally culminate towards a peek in the historical reality of the Chola dynasty whose last remnant populations is safely tucked away in isolation.
The premise holds the attention of the viewer until the point wherein the father of  Lavanya is found. Thereafter, the focus of the movie shifts gears towards  historical fiction. The focus on the barbaric ways of the Chola subsect whose king,played by Parthiban is portrayed as a menacing nymphomaniac and a contradictory well wisher of people and the transformation of Anitha and her team of officers who trace their lineage to the Pandya dynasty make for some interesting twists and turns. For the first time since joining the Tamil film industry, Reema Sen demonstrates maturity in her acting that is albiet evolving. Karthi plays the role of the labourer convincingly and offers a comic relief even in the most serious moments.Here is one actor who effortlessly slips into the local lingo as much as he empathizes with the Tamil subsect that he subconciously begins to identify himself with during the course of the story. Andrea, on the contrary does not have much to offer, thanks to a weak characterization and is relegated to a historian lost in the thoughts of her father.  However,despite the grandeur and picturization of what could have become a classic ... the prospects are marred by lengthy narratives and abrupt endings topped by songs that really dont seem to fit into the movie except for the remix version of the MGR hit Adho andha paravai...that makes for some fun viewing.
Selvaraghavan has made a sincire attempt to break new ground in tamil adventure cinema and steered away from cliches to the maximum. However, the effort tapers along somehwere with the script meandering through varied subplots that towards the end could lead the audience confused unless the intended community has attended lessons in history at some point during its lifetime.
Further, the inane usage of graphics makes one consider exploring how the movie could have been made realistic enough to leave the audience beaming with admiration for a movie that has come from a man who has given us classics in 7/G Rainbow Colony and Kaadhal Konden.
In reminiscence the movie scores a 3 on 5 for its honest and fresh attempt in story telling and having people glued to what could become commonplace in Tamil cinema in the years to come. Selvaraghavan, take a bow !!