Director: Gautham Vasudev Menon
Cast: Dhanush, Megha Akash, M. Sasikumar
The story begins where it ends. A mid-plot narration set amidst a bullet hurling towards the protagonist. The frame freezes with the bullet just inches away from Dhanush – who plays Ragu – as the title reads “Ennai Nokki Paayum Thotta”. Right from the start of the movie the brilliant cinematography, heart-melting music, and Dhanush’s remarkable performance will play the perfect muse enhancing a genre that can only be lately described as “Gautham Menon movie”.
The film is an action, thriller that is set against the backdrop of a gripping dark almost fictitious romance. A Gautham Menon movie is sure to have two things; a strong connection to family emotion and storybook romance. The family connects here is that of Ragu’s brother, who chooses to leave him and his family at a young age.
The love story of the movie revolves around Lekha, played by Megha Akash. The film mashes up a college boy meets – not his classmate, college mate, neighbor, nor his sister’s friend. NO – wait for it… an actress shooting at his university. What unfolds is a not-so-extraordinary love story that still manages to deliver waves of emotions only with music that even after being played for over two years now, hits completely new, grabbing our hearts and leaves us feeling nostalgic. And like most of the time, the actress, Lekha comes from a troubled background that only pulls Ragu into a whirlpool of trouble that would involve guns, police, gangsters, bullets and finding his long lost brother.
Two stories run parallel, the narration of the past and the current crime scene, both which intervenes at the interval. (Why sit through only one melodrama when you can watch two for the same price?) However the second half of the movie carries the same flaw as the director’s previous ones, it gets nagging losing the grip the first-half had on the audience. You find yourself in an action film with a series of gunfights, and gangster chase, complete with corrupt cops.
Overall the movie plays more like a novel, with both the actor and actress doing their part perfectly. And it’s a delight how beautifully Dhanush has pulled off a role so different from his usual ones. It has all of the director’s signature elements; a Kaakha Kaakha style voiceover, a Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya gate, a Varnam Aiyram tragedy, and a vulnerable girl to protect.
Verdict: Watch the movie for its music and romance. If you are a fan of Gautham Menon’s genre, you won’t be too disappointed, at least with the first half.
