For a movie like Nadodigal, there simply isn’t any reason for an introduction. The movie deals with a much discussed and overrated topic – Love! It is about the same love everyone hails, its the same friendship that all the movies talk about.. If so, what makes this one movie different? What makes the movie stand out?
Its the way the story writer brilliantly brings out a rare story with a very common and over handled subject. It is the way the movie stays so close to reality; close to what we know, what we feel - something more than believable, a true and absolute drama sliced up from the daily lives of any man in the world.
The story begins at a small village with three people in focus, Karuna (Sasi Kumar), Chandran (Vijay Vasanth) and Pandian (Bharani) who have been best friends since their childhood. Karuna is in love with his mama’s daughter who is adamant that he would hand out his daughter to him only when he comes upto his house with an appointment order for a Government job. Chandran lives with the dream for starting a computer centre on his own and are running around for a loan and have fallen for Karuna’s sister. Pandiyan looks forward to his passport that might be his escape from the stepmother – the only reason why his father although affectionate denounces him at times. Even when small problems bug them, all of them find their life settled at one point where everything seems to be just right ahead. Saravanan; one of Karuna’s school friends come to his village and from a suicide attempt of his’ they come to know about his love affair. Saravanan, an MP’s son had fallen for a business big shot’s daughter. The family powerplays calls the relationship off. When Karuna sees the dilemma his friend is in and understanding the true love for her, decides to help him get his girl. Chandran and Pandiyan sets out with him to help their one friend. They succeed in getting the girl and after a gruesome fight with the families and horrible consequences to the trio.Chandran loses his leg, Pandiyan his hearing and Karuna his job and his love. The couple is sent off to a distant place while the life of the friend’s fall into misery. But soon they come to know that the couple had gone apart without letting them know. They had called the marriage off!! The story takes the turn here and what happens next? What would they do when they had risked their lives for their friend’s love??? Dont ask me – Go watch the movie.
Good movies are like Hailey’s Comet these days. Its tough to find one in all the competition about flaunting the money by the producers. But nowadays Tamil movie industry deserves recognition for the movies that they bring out. And even when people laugh at South film industry with Shahrukh Khan’s Yanna Rascala, its a shame that the best they could come out with was Kaminey. When all you see is beach hunks and zero size models, sometimes you would wonder about the movie that casts people with no make up and no muscles and decent clothing. I too did. But once the movie started I was stuck to the Television.
Karuna(Sasi Kumar) is a mind blowing actor. He has got the perfect mix of humour and does well with almost all the roles. He quite has got a charm around him and I don’t have to elaborate if you have already seen Subramaniyapuram. I don’t know the girl’s name but the one who comes as nallamma opposite to Karuna is just the best I have seen. She is just this petit sweet girl and appeals to the hyperactive innocent village girl character in all ways. I am all praises for her and loved her in the movie. I am sure she has a long way to go. Every one in the cast fulfilled their roles brilliantly and efficiently.
One more thing I should mention is the message in the story. When most of the movies bias towards one opinion, sometimes they say love marriages fail and make a movie on that and sometimes they say love hails. But this is one movie which distinguishes the true love from the puppy love or lust that sometimes creates a smoke screen before your eyes making it tough to decipher what you exactly feel.It somehow balances the both and compares them all the same. The story tells you what love exactly is in the most powerful way it can.
The movie takes you to reality as I said and everyone we meet feels like someone we know. There is nothing out of place or out of this world. It never bores you and never drags.Movies should be like that. The story is portrayed beautifully. Unlike the normal superman fights, the story keeps them realistic and the soundtracks that accompany them are brilliant. The song “Shambo Sivsambo” has got the tempo of the movie and ignites the fire that’s already there. The camera is brilliantly manoeuvred, with a view that never bores us. The script, the narration, the direction; everything needs a standing ovation. The movie has maintained the light hearted tone to the end but not in a way that it takes out the seriousness in the story. Its a tough thing to do but the Director has handles it beautifully.
I would strongly recommend Nadodigal and I assure you that you wouldn’t regret it. This is the one good movie I have seen in a long time. And I hope more movies like this come out. Its time I guess bollywood took their inspiration down south(movies like Wednesday , Aamir, Taare Zameen Par are all exceptions) and I remember a time when I was proud that I belong to that part of the world where classic movies came out almost twice or thrice a year. But Malayalam movies have changed nowadays that they seem to be more taken up by glamour and stories that lay their hands on fantasy. Its time people checked..... I don’t know whether its the consumer’s demand for big sets and flashy lights... if so why is Nadodigal a better movie than Kanthasamy? Why was puduppettai astonishing? Why did subramaniyapuram capture hearts?
For me Nadodigal was a one of a kind movie and I promise you that once you see this movie, it would stay in your mind for sometime..... believe me!!