Enemy (2021 film)

Enemy is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Anand Shankar and produced by Vinod Kumar under the banner of Mini Studios. The film features Vishal and Arya in the lead roles, while Mirnalini Ravi, Mamta Mohandas, Prakash Raj, Thambi Ramaiah and Karunakaran play supporting roles. The film marks Vishal and Arya's second collaboration after Avan Ivan (2011).

Enemy was released on 4 November 2021 to mixed reviews from critics, but became an average venture at the box office.

Plot
1996: In Ooty, Chozhan Ramalingam and Rajiv Parirajan are two friends whom Parirajan, Rajiv's father trains. He enables them to join the police force. Although given equal training, Chozhan appears to best out Rajiv, causing the latter to turn jealous of the former. One day, Chozhan and Rajiv are playing chess, and Rajiv wins. While Rajiv leaves Chozhan pondering over the outcome, he sees Parirajan dead on the floor. The police escort the boys to the police station, and Chozhan tells the inspector and Ramalingam, Chozhan's risk-averse father, that he can bust the killer using his skills. Ramalingam takes Chozhan away, leaving Rajiv alone.

2021: Chozhan becomes a departmental store owner run by Ramalingam in Singapore. However, he has now evolved into a part-time vigilante and secretly thwarts minor crimes and corruption to help the Tamil community. One day, a gas company near his store suddenly bursts, which kills 11 Tamil people and severely injures five more. Chozhan catches Joseph, the painter, behind the mess and hands him to the police. The next day, Arundathi Mohan, the Indian External Affairs minister, comes to Singapore to address the Tamil people but struggles to speak at the gathering. Chozhan immediately senses that her artificial cardiac pacemaker has been tampered with by someone and shoots to save her.

The police catch Chozhan, but the police release him subsequently after they realise he saved her. As soon as Chozhan tips off the police, they capture the culprit at a hotel. The assassin is Rajiv, now a hardened assassin, whom the Beijing corporate businessman hired to kill the External affairs minister of India. However, Rajiv escapes after threatening the police officers to kill their families. Chozhan meets up with Rajiv, who tells him what happened on the day they separated: Parirajan confronts Rajiv. Parirajan berated him for misusing his skills to loot some money, which made Rajiv kill his father. He also overheard him saying that Chozhan would eventually overshadow Rajiv in anything, thus inciting him to develop a permanent hatred towards Chozhan.

After the revelation, Rajiv argues that he has evolved and grown in multiple ways and is way too advanced for Chozhan to intercept while challenging him to rescue one of the close ones he would soon kidnap. Chozhan calls everyone for a surprise engagement with Ashvitha. He did this to make sure his loved ones were always with him so none of them got kidnapped by Rajiv. At his engagement with Ashvitha, Chozhan realised that his cousin's daughter, Pinky, had gone missing from her school trip. Soon, Rajiv contacts him and informs him that he kidnapped Pinky from her school to kill her, but Chozhan responds by abducting Rajiv's pregnant wife, Anisha. Chozhan threatens to kill Anisha if anything happens to Pinky.

Chozhan and Rajiv meet to exchange their kin. As Rajiv releases Pinky to Chozhan, Chozhan says he would not easily let go of this issue. He makes a deal with Rajiv: he will safely transport Anisha back to India if Rajiv surrenders to the police for the deaths of the 11 people. Rajiv agrees reluctantly and surrenders himself. As Chozhan transports Anisha to the airport, The hitman, sent by the Beijing businessman to kill Rajiv, learns about Anisha's connection to Rajiv, and he follows and slits her throat in the washroom. In prison, Rajiv finds out about Anisha's death on TV and is anguished. He thinks Chozhan has broken his deal and escapes from jail by swallowing prawns, making him choke and allergies. He plots against Chozhan by kidnapping the children of his area and tells the community that to save their children, Ramalingam must die.

Rajiv attempts to brainwash someone into shooting Ramalingam to ensure the safety of their children but to no avail. Rajiv extorts Ramalingam alone to commit suicide by drinking rat poison after revealing that he killed his father at the age of 13. In the meantime, Chozhan saves the children and returns with them to his community. Ramalingam dies, not before telling Chozhan to finish Rajiv. Chozhan confronts Rajiv inside a skyscraper, and after intense combat, Chozhan kicks Rajiv off the building and grabs him by his leg. In the end, he divulges the Beijing corporates' involvement in Anisha's death. Rajiv is shocked after knowing the truth and tries to convince Chozhan to pull him up, but Chozhan drops him off the building, leading to his death. Several years later, Chozhan takes his son and lays flowers on Ramalingam's and Rajiv's grave.

Production
After appearing together in Avan Ivan, Arya and Vishal worked together again for this movie.The principal photography of the film began in November 2020 and the shoot wrapped up on 12 July 2021.

Music
The songs were composed by S. Thaman and Sam C. S. while the latter did the film score. This marks Thaman's third collaboration with Vishal after Pattathu Yaanai and Ayogya, as well as with Arya after Settai and Meaghamann, plus Sam's second collaboration with both Vishal and Thaman after the aforementioned Ayogya. The song "Tum Tum" attained popularity as a South Indian wedding standard, even among those residing in other countries.

Release
The film was initially scheduled to be theatrically released on 14 October 2021, but then pushed to 4 November 2021 coinciding with Diwali festival clashing with Annaatthe. The streaming rights were sold to SonyLIV and the film began streaming there from 18 February 2022.

Critical reception
Logesh Balachandran of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Enemy could have been better if some of the cliched sequences had been avoided." Pinkvilla gave 3/5 stars and wrote "The plot is very much thrilling and has some nice action sequences that makes the story worth watching. This festive season, it gives all the entertainment that's needed for the adrenaline rush of the audiences who have been waiting for a good film in the theatres."

123Telugu gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Enemy is an action drama with passable thrills and stunts. All those who love action-packed films with big heroes can surely give this film a shot this Diwali" Behindwoods gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Vishal and Arya's performances and action scenes keeps Enemy engaging."

Thinkal Menon of OTTplay gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Despite an intriguing premise and a few impressive action scenes, Enemy couldn't cash in on the myriad of opportunities it had." Ashameera Aiyappan of Firstpost gave 2/5 stars and wrote "For a film that is mounted on a rivalry, the equation between Chozhan and Rajiv is pretty shallow and one-dimensional."

Praveen Sudevan of The Hindu wrote "Anand Shankar’s film, after an elaborate and promising start, fizzles out after its leading men are introduced." Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companion wrote "Enemy is like Vishal’s dance — full-bodied, hard-working, energetic, confident, but entirely devoid of knack. That doesn’t make it unwatchable though."