I’d obviously prefer the weight of a Mari Selvaraj over Rajiv Menon’s soft touch on any given day. But the latter’s voice, however glossy, is important. There’s someone from the now-established “other side” joining the cause. This arrival may not be as path-breaking as Ranjith’s voice, but it does add to the discourse. Him breaking a Peter stereotype (class) can be seen on the same plane as Ranjith breaking the Kabali stereotype (status).

Menon’s film doesn’t deviate. He keeps pushing Peter from all quarters, but there’s an obvious lack of weight to the happenings. Be it Venu’s impact on Peter, Sara’s feelings for Peter, or the travelling Peter does. All these beats sound organic, but they are too lightweight to make us feel for them. You need more power for such a journey to deliver its intended fireworks. GV Prakash doesn’t have even a nibble on that front. This leads to a “basic” feel to the direction, one that only Rahman rises above. His energetic, anthemic songs drive a very apparent fairytale to a zone where we don’t mind buying it. There are quite a few sparks and lashes in the dialogues, but nothing affecting. In the end, I am very happy for Peter, but not celebrating for him, which I really needed to in order to truly like the film.