They embark happily on the overnight journey, only to find out later that the truck they are carrying contains contraband and they are now unknowingly embroiled in a sinister plot involving local politicians, smugglers, gangsters, and the police.
The two men are now fugitives on the run while the determined SP Haridas (Tamilarasan) is intent on tracking them down—more for his own vested interests than to bring them to law. On the other hand, they are also on the wanted list of the dangerous local goon Dhanapalan (Joju George), the owner of the contraband that was caught by the police. With a lot of powerful men trying to track them down to lock them up or even murder them, Kumaran and Muthaiya find help in the form of Ilayaal (Anagha), a Sri Lankan refugee living in Tamil Nadu, who helps them evade the police and tries to smuggle them to Sri Lanka. The movie starts by showing the cultural aspects of Tamil Nadu and then gradually moves on to reflect the darker side of politics, policing, and the refugee crisis. The film’s screenplay, which starts on a light note with humorous and musical moments, also consequently gets darker as the story’s conflicts are revealed. As a writer and first-time director, Ashok Veerappan ticks most of the boxes. His writing is descriptive and the direction makes the film’s setting seem real and relatable. But at the same time, his execution is not completely flawless. One of my complaints is that the powerhouse actor George’s role has been reduced to an extended cameo that doesn’t contribute much. It’s a complete waste of really good talent. Also, the romantic angle between Kumara and Anagha feels forced and implanted just to appease the mainstream audience. Even if so, the conviction and chemistry behind the characters are lacking. Lack of conviction is somewhat seen in character development too. None of the characters get strong backstories to make them memorable. The main characters’ profession as traditional theater artists could have been used for a better narrative function than just aesthetic purposes. No complaints with any of the actors though, they put up decent performances despite the writing not supporting them fully. But what is lost by the writing and direction is more than made up for by the film’s cinematography. Dinesh Purushothaman’s cinematography captures the rural Tamil Nadu without making it look overly dramatic. There’s a realistic approach to how he frames his characters and settings in the film. The excellent cinematography is further supported by Santosh Narayanan’s music. The film’s score is a mix of Tamil folk and modern-day electronic music. Narayanan uses music cleverly in the storytelling to create and resolve tension where needed. Who should watch it? Despite its flaws, ‘Buffoon’ is a gripping thriller that is visually and aurally pleasing. It could be a great watch for anyone interested in the genre. Fair warning though, you have to put up with the subtitles to understand the story. Buffoon Genre: Crime, Drama Rating: 3 stars Run time: 1hr 59mins Actors: Vaibhav, Athangudi Ilayaraja Director: Ashok Veerappan
