Nanbenda Movie Review
Director: Jagadish
Cast: Udhay, Nayanthara, Santhanam
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Oru Kal Oru Kannadi was a trendsetting rom-com but as the film's director Rajesh had fully exploited the genre, he himself couldn't recreate the magic in All in All Azhagu Raja.
Now Rajesh's associate Jagadish has followed his guru's route with Nanbenda, another mindless light-hearted comedy that tries to tickle your funny bones. But the magic and chemistry we saw in Saravanan and Partha of Oru Kal Oru Kannadi is definitely missing in Sathya and Siva Kozhunthu of Nanbenda.
Sathya (Udhay) and Siva Kozhunthu (Santhanam) are close friends, as expected. Udhay falls head-over-heels in love with Ramya (Nayanthara), a bank employee the moment he sees her. Ramya has faced ten days imprisonment for a crime! And when she narrates her past to Udhay, he finds it extremely funny and laughs out loud which hurts her sentiment and now they part way.
Now two dons in the city are introduced to us and at one point of time Sathya and Siva are arrested for the alleged murder of Scorpio Shankar (Rajendran). Now the rest of the film tells us how the friends escape from prison and solve the mystery.
Performance wise Udhay has improved a lot in dancing and dialogue delivery, the actor looks confident and scores even without Santhanam. Nayanthara too strikes just the right balance between broad humour and heartfelt emotion. She looks like a dream in all the songs and her gorgeous screen presence lifts the movie. A special mention for the care and detailing done as far as her hair, make-up and clothes go. However, Santhanam looks disinterested and stereotyped.
Harris Jayaraj's music is a major strength for the movie as all the songs are perfect with the right mix of melody and peppy tunes. The song shot in Bali 'Oorelam Unnai Kandu' is the pick of the lot as it reminds you of the Shankar grandeur. DOP Balasubramaniem has done a good job.
However, the screenplay is painfully predictable and you will find yourself chuckling and cringing alternately while watching the film. It is unfair to expect any story in such a genre and on the whole, this film may appeal to its target audiences.
