August 16 1947 Movie Review: Equipped with an impressive production scale and a grand ambition, director NS Ponkumar mounts his fictional tale titled August 16, 1947 handsomely. The canvas, the colours and the themes of this AR Murugadoss production culminate to form an interesting plot. The story may not engage you deeply, but it certainly intrigues you in more ways than one. Murugadoss who has returned to the big screen after five long years surely has a grand ambition and a grander vision to translate on celluloid. August 16, 1947: AR Murugadoss Unveils Motion Poster and Trailer Launch Date of His Upcoming Film (Watch Video).

Unfortunately, the long-drawn sequences and the stretched-out sub-plots do not hold your attention well enough. If only makers could stick to the much-needed precision (read: strictly to the fascinating central plot) this film would have turned out to be an intense and engaging watch. The story impresses you in parts and the screenplay continues to be promising throughout its runtime, but one wonders why nobody from the writing, the making or the editing department could step in tactfully in order to make this 'grand show' of gore and grotesque precise.

But then again, brevity has never been a forte with AR Murugadoss. His earlier productions too have been elaborate and extensive, to put it mildly. This one is convoluted and complex, and the plots get twisted at unexpected junctures. The high production value and the scale is super impressive to say the least, and these elements are backed by equally engaging performances. Make no mistake, the director has an intent for sure, but the lack of precision butchers a promising concept in swift strokes.

The story is set in a fictional village in pre-independence Madras where British Raj is responsible for all the atrocities and exploitation. The ruling British General (Richard Ashton) and his son (Jason Shah) leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the constitution remain oppressed and weak with no voice of their own. The hero of the story (Gautham Karthik) and the love of his life (Revathy Sharma) must revolt against the empire for the sake of their dignity.

The twist in the tale is how the story spans three days, from August 14 to August 16 when the said villagers become bloodthirsty and unleash their brutal forces on the British as they struggle to receive the news of India's independence on time. The disturbing atrocities and the oppression, as indeed the revolt that comes along redefine the term independence. The premise is certainly promising, but the narrative loses the group on the said events. The bizarre dialogues, the disjointed sequencing and the complicated style of narration dilute the essence of the plot. Ghajini 2: A R Murugadoss and Suriya To Team Up for Another Mystery Thriller – Reports

Amidst the spiking decibels and everything grotesque being unleashed, you get a tale that could have been served in a better way. Selvakumar SK's cinematography is a huge plus of the film though. The detailing of the visuals must deserve a special mention here. Sadly, you don't feel much for the characters and their plight. The urgency of the larger-than-life events and the characters is swiftly diluted by the unnecessary subplots and the deafening background score. There are thrills but there is more thunder for no rhyme or reason.

As for the performances, Gautham as the man in love with a mission to accomplish is striking. Revathy plays her part with sincerity. Richard Ashton is loud but his 'drama' works as the ultimate tyrant as he plays the part with conviction in a film that demands everything loud and overly expressive.

Final Thoughts

August 16, 1947 is an opportunity wasted. Watch this one to admire the scale and the vision of the makers (only if you are willing to forgive the massive loopholes in the otherwise fascinating tale)

Rating:2.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 07, 2023 09:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).