‘Navarasa’ review: A mixed bag with more misses than hits

The biggest names of Tamil cinema get together for this Netflix anthology, but the results aren’t for the best

In Bejoy Nambiar’s Edhiri, which plays out like a Christian fable set in West Mambalam, two parallel shots that simultaneously establish the lead characters and their possible relationship instantly remind you of a similar shot in Thalapathi. And Mani Ratnam is credited for the story here. Only later we get the shot’s actual purpose, which is made to toy with our perception of how we perceive the lead characters, played by Revathi and Vijay Sethupathi. It’s a short about forgiveness and hence, a drama is built strongly on guilt and remorse, propelled by a murder. Since it’s about ‘guilt’, PB Sreenivas’ superb ‘Manithan Enbavan’ rolls over the credits. As the lyrics suggest, a character gets a moment that would elevate them to the status of God, only if they chose not to succumb to emotions. The only issue is, Edhiri is too basic, too familiar. Or at least the manner in which Nambiar constructs the scenes. The psychopathology of guilt needed more thought. It’s nothing new to Vijay Sethupathi either. He is Dheena here who is on the run for a crime he didn’t intend to, in the first place. Think of Sethupathi’s stunning portion from Iraivi. What Cheenu Mohan says in that film, is what Revathi says in this. Word by word [Dialogues are by Vijay Sethupathi and MK Mani]. Edhiri, in fact, could be argued as a fresh rendition of the character Sethupathi played with aplomb in Iraivi. Given the shorter format, the resolution is too easy. But it does get interesting in the end, where we see not just Sethupathi, but Revathi too bearing the cross. The biggest takeaway is, if ever Bejoy Nambiar remakes Thalapathi, we know who’s going to play what.