Chennaiyil Oru Naal 2 (Eng: A day in Chennai 2) is a 2017 Indian crime thriller, written by Rajesh Kumar and directed by JPR. The film has an ensemble cast, including Sarath Kumar, Napoleon and Suhasini. The film is in the Tamil language and is a sequel to the 2013 film Chennaiyil Oru Naal.
Chennaiyil Oru Naal 2 is inspired from a novel by crime novelist Rajesh Kumar, and the pulpy elements of its source are all too evident in the film’s plot. Mysterious posters, anonymous letters, highly harmful inmate in an asylum, unexpected death, a killer for hire, a drug that enhances memory power… the plot has it all. But the writing never manages to bring all these elements into a satisfactory narrative. The dialogue is stilted and the characters are just functional with no real presence. The investigation part is also amateurish, with Pandian hardly shown as someone who is making actual deductions. The direction is also off, with the actors (including the veterans — Sarath Kumar, Suhasini and Napoleon) performing in an artificial manner, moving and talking slower than people do in real life.
There is some flair when it comes to the visuals. A sequence inside an asylum is well shot, with cinematographer Vijay Deepak experimenting with lights and shadows. Much of the film’s vigour comes from the music, by Jakes Bejoy, who tries to make every scene seem important. But Bejoy, who also composed the music for another Coimbatore-set thriller, Dhurvangal Pathinaaru, overdoes this, and often the score is overpowering. In fact, the entire project has the feel of a wannabe Dhurvangal Pathinaaru. It is a pity that the film doesn’t really succeed despite this worthy ambition.
Directed by JPR
Produced by P.K. Ram Mohan
Screenplay by JPR
Story by Rajesh Kumar
Starring Sarath Kumar, Napoleon, Suhasini, Ramdoss
Music by Jakes Bejoy
Cinematography Vijay Deepak
Edited by Gopi Krishna
Production Kalpataru Pictures
Release date 18 October 2017
Running time 101 minutes
Country India
Language Tamil
