2.5 / 4 STARS
DIRECTOR: CHERAN
ACTORS: ARUN KUMAR, RAJKIRAN, CHANDRASEKHAR, RANJIT
ACTRESSES: SHAMITA
MUSIC DIRECTOR: BHARADWAJ
STORYLINE:
Dhanasekharan (Rajkiran) returns to the village where he grew up
after 12 years, and we are told a tragedy occurred to make him
leave in the first place. He brings his family, consisting of
younger brother (Chandrasekhar), younger sister, and niece
(Shamita) with him.
They hire Tamilarasan (Arun Kumar) to build them a home in the
village, and he begins doing that. Along the way, he falls in love
with Shamita, and though she hesitates, she eventually reciprocates.
It is now revealed that Dhanasekharan has another younger brother
(Ranjit) who is in jail, and ever since Shamita was little, she has
been promised to wed him.
Once Arun Kumar knows of this, he sacrifices his love.
COMMENTS:
Not bad. Not bad at all. It's a slow-moving movie, sure, but it has
a pretty good plot, and hits all the right notes. It's less preachy
than Cheran's previous outings, and the actors have all been selected
with care.
Rajkiran, who I have never been a fan of, plays his role wonderfully.
He is perfect for this role. Chandrasekhar -- absent from the screen
for a long while -- and Ranjit play his younger brothers well.
But the best casting choice made in the film was to make Arun Kumar
the young hero. He acts well, looks handsome, and is completely
plausible as a brilliant dedicated young engineer, a far cry from
his usual role as a young college "tharuthalai" (such as in Thulli
Thirintha Kaalam.
Newcomer Shamita as the heroine is by no means extremely attractive,
but she fits in the movie well as a homely girl, and acts adequately.
She's good in this film; if Cheran had used a glamor doll instead, it
wouldn't have worked.
The movie drags a little in places; there's an unnecessary bomb plot,
but at the end of the film, you feel fairly satisfied. What more
could you want?
NOTE ON THE MUSIC:
Bharadwaj impresses with music that is absolutely perfect for the
atmosphere of the film. All the songs he sung himself have great
lyrics ("Avaravar Vaalkaiyil", "Thaayae Unnai", and "Chinna Vayasila").
The songs for the younger hero and heroine are also very nice, but
inexplicably, "Malargalai Padaitha" and "Virumbuthae Virumbuthae,"
two songs from the soundtrack, are not to be found in the film.
The only song I didn't like was "Ay Samba."
RECOMMENDATION:
Watch it on video.
VIJAY VANNIARAJAN