‘Adiyae’ Review: GV Prakash’s time-travel film is a lost opportunity

These days, a lot is riding on the trailer and promos of a film. They determine the audience turnout in theatres. After Covid-19, audiences gauge the hype of a film and decide whether to visit the theatre or watch the film on OTT platforms. And GV Prakash and Gouri G Kishan’s ‘Adiyae’ managed to create a buzz on social media and among the audience. Has ‘Adiyae’ lived up to expectations? Let’s find out in the review!

‘Adiyae’ follows the story of Jeeva (GV Prakash) a grieving youngster, who is on the verge of taking his life. However, he listens to Senthazhini’s (Gouri Kishan) song on TV and it changes his life. It reminds him of his school days when he developed feelings for Senthazhini. Meanwhile, there’s scientist GK (Venkat Prabhu), who has lost his device, which is now lost. How does this scientific device cause changes in Jeeva’s life and how his life progresses in an alternate reality?

After ‘Indru Netru Naalai’, ‘Maanaadu’ and ‘Kanam’, ‘Adiyae’ is a promising science fiction which has some brilliant stretches of sequences. Director Vignesh Karthick strips the complexity of time travel and breaks it down for the layman. And add some current pop culture references, ‘Adiyae’ was a largely enjoyable experience. The initial stretch of the film is when the director takes his sweet time to explain the concept of a parallel universe or alternate reality.

While it is understandable that he had spent quite a bit of time registering the sci-fi concept, it also gets a bit tedious after a point. As the visuals are quite repetitive and lack finesse. The important aspect of ‘Adiyae’ is that it’s so self-aware. Mirchi Vijay’s character’s dialogues are a representation of what the audience thinks.

Here's the trailer:

It’s a nice touch to see the director take subtle digs at Gautham Menon and his shelved film, ‘Yohan’, with Thalapathy Vijay. Not just Gautham Menon, there are several swipes aimed at AR Rahman, Sachin Tendulkar, Mani Ratnam, MS Dhoni and whatnot. Many sportspeople and film personalities get a mention in the film, which is so refreshing to look at.

‘Adiyae’ also has its own share of lapses in it. The brilliant stretches where the film is quite self-aware are far too few. And that’s where the inconsistency crops up. Due to this inconsistency, ‘Adiyae’ looks a bit stretched even though it's less than two-and-a-half hours long.

‘Adiyae’ is also quite enjoyable because of the chemistry between GV Prakash and Gouri Kishan. There’s also a reference to Gouri’s role in ‘96’ as well. That said, some of the dialogues, especially the love portions, sound cringeworthy. Venkat Prabhu's act largely entertains us and also makes one question why he doesn't act more. The film comes together in the second half and that's where you get into the groove.

Director Vignesh Karthick’s ‘Adiyae’ is a decent sci-fi film that could have been elevated with more finesse. With some interesting sequences and a brilliant score by Justin Prabakaran, the film ended up as a decent watch.

2 out of 5 stars for ‘Adiyae’.