Aug 25

KOLANGAL
Adi is talking to the three holdouts. Minister is by his side. He tells them how the whole construction industry has been spoiled by the influx of people like Abhi who want to make a fast buck at the expense of innocent landowners such as themselves. He replays what he thinks would have happened, and they are astounded that he has guessed the situation exactly (not knowing his man was in all the while). Finally, he says, it is your right not to sell. At the same time, I know you need the money too...Here's my suggestion. I'll buy a power of attorney from you for half the price you were going to receive. You can sell it at your own pace, and when you do, you can redeem the power of attorney. After a minor huddle, they all three think this is a grand idea. Later, after they are gone, Minister wonders what the plan is, what does the power of attorney get them? Adi is way ahead of him. I'm going to transfer it to Tols, he says. Minister says, but doesn't that require his signature? Ah, Ganga will do that job, declares Adi.

Ganga and Adi are at the loan office, where Tols has agreed to provide surety for Ganga's loan. The loan officer hands him an expensive stamp paper blank, and asks him to sign. He walks away, correctly smelling a rat. Outside, Ganga meets him and asks if her love for him does not extend to a signature. She slowly challenges his own believes of himself as a man who cares nothing for money or prestige, just for doing the right thing and having faith in people. He snatches the paper from Ganga, as she makes to tear it up, and hastily hands it back to her after signing it.

Next, Ganga hands over the paper to Adi, with slight misgivings. She asks Adi if Tols' trust will be betrayed and any harm will come to him. Adi reassures her it will not. Later, adi and Rekha take Ganga to a plot of land and says it belongs to Ganga, once Tols is persuaded to leave Abhi's company. She thinks it over, and a look of determination comes over her face. You will see just how ambitious I am, she say.

SELVI
On the run, James calls GJ on his cell phone. GJ is in the bathroom, and the phone rings repeatedly in the hall. Finally, his father answers. In true Tamil movie fashion, the veteran conspirator James begins speaking without even verifying whom he is talking to. While the father is silent, James mentions that the police are after him, that he dropped the 10 lakhs that GJ gave, and that if he gets caught, GJ will not be far behind. The father replaces the phone, and when GJ comes out, confronts him (though he does not know James' name). GJ is flustered, insists that it was a wrong number as Tamarai shows up, asking. He makes up some excuses and runs off to meet James at 'the usual place', as James has told his father. Father plays along when Tamarai asks, but he knows something is amiss.

The cops get the driver, and after he says none of the faces either  in a lineup and the police suspect book belong to his 10 Lakh passenger, they use -- get this -- a computer program to generate composites (true enough, it even has tabs like "Render", and the like). He manages to get a face that looks like James. Nagendra says to Velu, get this published in all the papers, without saying why he is wanted, and ask anyone who knows of him to get in touch.

James and GJ meet. James demands more money. GJ says for now, lie low, go and shave your head, and gives him some money for a barber, and some living expenses. Late rhe makes a call to Pandian and tells him to proceed with his plan to get Selvi off his back. Someone is clicking photographs. He returns to the car, and a voice comes from behind, "Why not give yourself up, GJ?" Expectedly, Selvi is in the back seat. GJ is calm, and talks slowly, admitting having kidnapped Andavan and Kathan, making a fool of Amar, and even says he will do away with Amar if need be. No one can touch him. You know, with the measured and clear tone he is using, that Selvi has a tape recorder going. So she does. Finally, she says, I've appealed to you as a wife. Now, I'm going to do my job as a person. She leaves the car. Someone is clicking photos of her. She takes out the cassette out of the tape recorder in her purse.

PENN
All about Akash. Akash comes back, a little surprised that his mother hasn't come to the airport, nor sent a car, nor even come out to the porch to receive him. Kala is cool. Akash does a fine rendition of a US returned student, mixing the right proportions of Massacussetts and Mandavali accents without going overboard on either. Kala probes him, asking if he knows Manohar and Ravindran. He says I used to know those guys in college, but they were medical, I engineering. Rather unnecessarily, he adds, they were not good people. Then she asks if he knows Anjali. Here he knows something is wrong, but he covers, making a silly joke about a Mani Ratnam film. Then Kala says that there was a letter from Dr. Manohar. Has she preserved the letter? No, she threw it away. But Dr. Manohar is now mad, sitting in a room chanting Anjali's name, she says. This is where the script falters. Akash makes no further inquiries, which is odd. Then he asks about Ranganayagi. He insists on calling her up. Kala does. Ranga has Deepa in the room. When Kala says Akash is here, Ranganayagi goes into an overdose of emotion, and wholly unconvincing acting. She splutters that on no account should Akash come there. There is a brief scuffle on both sides, on one side Ranga trying to keep the phone from Deepa, and on the other, Kala from Akash. Finally, Ranga speaks to Akash, and tells him he is being as ununderstanding as his mother, and there is no need for him to come until she sends for him. He musters all the outrage a US returned upstart thinks himself entitled to, and entertains Kala to all the American abuse (no bad words, though) he has picked up. Well done.