The crusader against corruption has been a popular figure in Tamil cinema with movies like
Indian , Saamurai and
Ramanaa , hitting the screen at regular intervals. Most of
them have been successful at the box-office too. 4 Students, dubbed from the Malayalam
superhit 4 The People, has 4 college students, instead of the usual larger-than-life hero,
leading the crusade. The unpredictability this provides, along with a great soundtrack and a
wonderful climax, make 4 Students very entertaining, inspite of the familiar theme.
Bharath, Arun, Arjun and Padmakumar are four college students who, disillusioned with the
widespread corruption, decide to deliver their own brand of justice. Donning black dresses
and helmets and arriving on motorbikes, they chop off the hands of the guilty. Soon, they
have their own website with people sending them emails with their grievances. The official
against whom most complaints are registered becomes their next target. This makes them popular
with the common man but the police is under pressure to capture them.
The aforementioned movies with this theme have all had big name heroes like Kamalhassan, Vikram
and Vijayakanth leading the fight against corruption. This resulted in similar story arcs with
familiar components like the hero not getting caught by the police until the climax, a tragic
flashback explaining the reason for his acts and a longwinded speech at the end. Having four
unfamiliar faces eliminates most of these and lends a certain unpredictability to the proceedings.
The policeman on the students' track is not always a step behind them and the movie surprises us
with the path it takes (like the politician's way of countering their popularity).
The movie has a fast pace with only one of the two romantic tracks, the one between Bharath and
Gopika, having no impact on the main story and so dragging the pace down a little. There are
many little twists and turns(like the students' way of checking their email after knowing that
their usual internet cafes are under police surveillance) that keep the story moving. Things
like the policeman uncovering their identity happening earlier than expected, is another reason
for the fast pace. The movie closes things off with a wonderful climax. After successfully raising
the tension with their plan to kill the politician, the movie ends in a way that is unpredictable,
completely new and almost exhilarating.
The entire cast does their job well though there are no standouts. Bharath(from
Boys , Gopika(Cheran's Malayali lover in
Autograph and Pranathi(Sarathkumar's wife in Gambeeram ) are the
only familiar faces to us. The soundtrack, which was a huge hit and a primary reason for the
movie's success in Malayalam, translates well to Tamil. The songs all have fast beats and contain a
lot of variety. Lajjavathiye... is very catchy and music director Jessie Gift's unique voice
and accent add to the song's appeal. Annakili... and Unthan Vizhimunai... are the
other catchy numbers that have us humming real soon. Unfortunately the picturization does not do
justice to the songs. They lack not just imagination but even basic choregraphy and the song sequences
simply have some regular scenes put together randomly.
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