After Pudupettai and Pattiyal, here comes Yogi, another film on the mafia. Award winning director Ameer makes his debut as an actor with Yogi produced by him; he also handles the screenplay and dialogues. Yogi is written and directed by Subramaniya Siva with music by Yuvanshankar Raja. The movie is inspired by the South African film Tsotsi. Before reviewing the movie, we must say that it is indeed a commendable effort from the whole team for experimenting with this story, which is a mix of both commercial and art house cinema. So, is it a success at the box office? Is it being loved by audiences? Keep reading.

What's It About?

Yogi (Ameer) and the members of his mafia gang, which includes Sadaiyan (lyricist Snehan), carry out petty thefts and live their carefree lives. They drink, smoke and make merry at night, committing crimes until one day, the police start investigating a murder committed by Yogi. Sadaiyan advises Yogi that they should all flee from the city before the police catches up with them. They decide to try a bigger robbery but their plan goes awry and they try to escape from the chasing cops. During the chase, Yogi's men accidently hit a young mother Caroline Linden (Swathi) with their car when she comes out of a departmental store to find her car being stolen by Yogi. After a cat-and-mouse chase, Yogi crashes his car on the road. Just when he is leaving the car, he finds a baby girl in the back seat and decides to take her home with him. 

Yogi decides to raise the baby girl himself and takes special care to see to that she is brought up well. He becomes her foster father. He also relates to the baby as his sister, who was killed as an infant by his drunkard father. He seeks the help of Raja Sulochana (Madhumitha), a young woman in the neighbourhood, to breastfeed the baby. Sulochana initially refuses, but when threatened by Yogi, she agrees. Yogi also tells her about the cruelties he had to face in childhood at the hands of his father (journalist Devaraj). He justifies that only because of his father's cruelty he had to choose this path and became part of the mafia. Sulochana, abandoned by her husband (Ashok) and a mother herself, empathizes with him and takes interest in Yogi. Yogi also decides to spurn his life of crime. 

Meanwhile, Caroline's husband Linden Fernado (Vincent Asokan) and stepfather of the baby has his own plans. He hires mafia men to find and kill the baby so that he could have his wife's money for himself. When Sadaiyan comes with a new assignment given by the gang lord of the area (finding the baby), Yogi refuses to surrender her; he tries to safeguard her by hiding her in his home. Sadaiyan and others come to know of this and they convince Yogi to rob Linden's house, which would be their final robbery, after which they would part ways. Yogi agrees after giving it a thought and decides to quit the mafia after this assignment. But things go haywire during the robbery; what happens after that forms the rest of the story. 

The Performances

Yogi excels with top performances of all the cast, especially Ameer, lyricist Snehan, Ponvannan, Madhumitha and journalist Devaraj. Ameer as Yogi fits the role to a 'T' and it is doubtful if any other actor would have done justice to this demanding role. He fights like a maniac and dances just like the rugged mafia men seen in Ram Gopal Varma films. Ameer as an actor is just engaging. His style and screen presence deserve special applause.

Lyricist Snehan as Sadaiyan just rocks! But his end could have been handled in a much better way rather than just knocking him off suddenly. The show-stealer among others is journalist Devaraj as the cruel father in a cameo role. To be more colloquial, we must say he is a 'terror on the screen' and delivers an outstanding performance. The belief Ameer and Subramaniya Siva had on Devaraj as an actor has worked wonders on the screen. Women are sure to curse his character! Kanja Karuppu brings in a few laughs. He is good in the scene where he is hired to photograph Ameer and the baby. 

It is a delight to watch Madhumitha as Raja Sulochana. After having been in the industry for a couple of years, this is the best role she has landed upon until now. Her breastfeeding act speaks on the dedication she has shown towards her character. She is funny at times. Ponvannan as the police officer impresses. Vincent Asokan as the villain is convincing. Swathi makes a worthy comeback. Overall, Yogi rides on the brilliant performances of the actors. 

For the Techie Lovers

Yogi is technically at par with the quality of Hollywood movies. It is a milestone in the mafia genre, if not a huge success. With all the QUBE and RDX technology updates around, the watching experience of Yogi is worthy of mention. Cinematography by R.B. Gurudev gives the movie a raw look. Editing by Ram Sudarshan is gripping, especially during the song and stunt sequences. The screenplay could have been more crisp; the movie is moving slowly at times. 

The mafia style dance choreography by Dinesh for the song 'Seermevum Koovathiley' is a visual treat! It goes hand-in-glove with the mood of the lyrics. As usual, Yuvanshankar Raja delivers yet another musical bonanza. 'Seermevum Koovathiley' and 'Yaarodo Yaaru' are entertaining and his re-recording is nearly a masterpiece with the haunting Yogi theme. Subramaniya Siva as the director has made a mark with Yogi. He has brought out the best from all his cast and crew members. Yogi is entirely different from his earlier projects - Thiruda Thirudi and Pori in all departments.

Final Verdict

Though the script of the Yogi has been inspired by Tsotsi, Ameer and Subramaniya Siva have added the local flavour. Some may like it, others may not, but the end product is definitely worth a watch at least for those who admire Ameer! The movie we feel is strictly for adults and is disturbing at times.

Cheers!:     The entire cast and crew of Yogi!

Review by Shailesh

Please note: Every review on Galatta.com is written by the person who has watched the movie. Therefore, while conscious effort is made to give a fair, unbiased and ethical opinion, every review will have a personal element and opinion to it. Ultimately, every movie experience is a personal one and readers should watch each movie on their own terms.