Tributes and meta-references about actors are not uncommon in films. In , the official remake of Sriram Raghavan’s (2018), the most interesting tributes come along for actor Karthik, who plays himself in the film. He is married to Simi (a brilliant Simran), who we are told loves his film songs.
His first entry comes with ‘Panivizhum Malarvanam’ song and then we get glimpses from his yesteryear hit Mouna Raagam and then another classic song ‘Keeravani’. We also get a passing reference to Jeans when we are introduced to Yogi Babu’s character as he worships Aishwarya Rai. Such personal touches elevate a remake, make it relevant to its audience, and stand out from its predecessor.
In , Krish (Prashanth) is a blind pianist who is caught as a witness to a high-profile murder and the web of problems that come with it. Despite the lack of surprises, holds on to its strongest feature—a solid screenplay. It traverses the story as a scene-by-scene remake with an experienced cast that comes together and delivers each scene effectively.
It has been a long time since we’ve seen Prashanth at his best and the actor slips into his character comfortably, playing a flustered pianist struggling to navigate a dark world. Simran holds the fort as Simi, who brilliantly shows both the gritty and vulnerable side of her character. Even actors with limited screen time deliver memorable performances.
Urvashi, who plays Sarasu akka and Yogi Babu who plays Murali, pivot the plot to a cruci.