Suriya has been exploring new characters and stories within commercial cinema. With Scene, he has experimented with a different approach. Directed by Jeethu Madhavan, known for Aavesham and Romancham, this crime thriller features Nazriya Nazim as the female lead. Suriya plays an unconventional character in the film. Scene was released in Telugu and Tamil on Friday. Did the film deliver a hit for Suriya as both a hero and producer? Or did it disappoint?
Premraj (Suriya) is a police officer working in the Crime Branch. He solves several difficult cases using his intelligence. However, his eyesight gradually deteriorates due to a medical condition. He tries to hide the fact that he is losing his vision. Stephen (Lal), the head of the Crime Branch, eventually dismisses him from his job. Meanwhile, a serial killer begins committing a series of murders in the city. Despite being dismissed following false allegations, Premraj challenges Stephen to let him solve the case. Maya (Nazriya Nazim) agrees to help him investigate. How does the visually impaired Premraj catch Ishwar(Naslen) form the basic story?
Performances: Suriya delivers a lively performance as a visually impaired police officer. His look is stylish, and the role can be considered an experiment in his career. For a star like Suriya, agreeing to play a character without conventional hero elevations, romantic scenes, or commercial elements is a bold move. However, his efforts are wasted due to the lack of strength in Jeethu Madhavan’s story.
The villain is one of the film’s biggest weaknesses. Naslen’s character lacks the required shades and depth. In serial-killer movies, the conflict between the hero and villain should be written in an engaging manner. The moments when the hero discovers the killer’s identity should be thrilling and impressive. Unfortunately, that excitement is missing here.
Nazriya Nazim delivers a cute performance. Anandaraj and Lal bring some laughs through their police-officer characters. Tovino Thomas appears in a guest role, along with Jyothika.
Technical Aspects: Crime thrillers are generally serious in nature, leaving limited scope for comedy. However, director Jeethu Madhavan attempts to break this trend with Scene. Like his previous films, he tries to present the story in his own style. Unfortunately, the experiment does not work because the story lacks logic and the comedy is not written effectively.
Sushin Shyam’s music is disappointing. The film struggles to balance its thriller and comedy elements, and the music does not help matters. Vineeth Augustine’s cinematography is decent. Although the film runs for two hours and 29 minutes, it feels much longer due to several stretched-out scenes.
Suriya and his wife Jyothika have produced the film. The production budget appears to be modest, and much of the movie takes place inside the same house.
Analysis: It is good for heroes to occasionally experiment with different stories and characters. Such attempts help them break free from their established image and explore new dimensions. However, choosing the right story and director is equally important. Suriya’s idea was good, but he did not receive the required support from Jeethu Madhavan.
Jeethu Madhavan has previously blended comedy and serious situations effectively in his films. However, the same magic is missing here. The comedy fails to work, and the crime story is not written convincingly. Suriya’s investigative methods and attempts to catch the killer sometimes appear silly.
Showing the other police officers as comic characters merely to highlight the protagonist does not work. The problems faced by Suriya, Nazriya Nazim, and other major characters are not explained properly. The comedy arising from these situations also feels unconvincing.
Verdict: Overall, Scene tries to deliver a unique premise but falls flat. Suriya and Naslen are top notch but the tense moments that are required for a thriller are missing. The film makes for a decent OTT watch but as a moviegoer look for something else this weekend.
Bottom Line: Only Suriya shines
Rating: 1.5/5
