Vinnaithandi Varuvaya - Review

(Gautham Menon's Voice over)

One love story was my debut followed by films on policekaarans with lauvv and action. I did yet another cop film. Then I tried to Ctrl+V Derailed followed by a film on Daddy Daddy, Son Son. I sat at home for a year wondering what to do next. "Time for a love story", I told myself and started working on the same. I finalized my artistes, technicians, locales and started shooting ....without a story. I booked Oscar-Grammy award winner A R Rahman as the music director for my Love Story...without a story. The shooting continued.... without a story. The film was ready and a big Giant bought my film. I was all excited . I went around the globe promoting the film. The film released two weeks ago. I am still looking for the story. If you managed to find it contact me on gautam.englishwonlymenon [at] vtv [dot] com. Thank you very much.

Vaat The Vetti

Travelling, work, mid-terms, basement cricket, coughing, more and more coughing for two weeks and at the end of all this you still wanted to go and watch only because of Gautam Menon-ARR combo?

Vaat The Valentine

Its love at first sight for yet another Karthik (Young superstar Simbhu) from the kollywood. The moment he sees Jessie (Trisha), his neighbor, this budding assistant director in films jumps up in the air, does an SRKish movement, chases her on his bike, hits his chest, speaks English dialogues which wonly Good-she, Church Park, WCC folks understand. Jessie doesn't really like him... or so she says. She is very clear that her dad will never approve of a Hindu boy and hence refuses to entertain Karthik . But he is determined. He chases her all the way till Kerala and she kinda falls for him but is vehement. They travel back to Chennai and after some lusty interludes in the train, she still says No. Then yes. Then No.. Then she leaves him and off she goes to UK (or US or some country) only to say "Let's get married" in the end. He makes his first film predictably titled 'Jessie' and everybody loves the film. Jessie applauds his effort and a suspense awaits the viewer. In real, they are not even married (WHOUA!) Is she is love with him or not? Why did he make that film? Why did she say No,Yes, No and again Yes and again no? The director is as clueless as you and I are.

Agreed. Simbhu looks cool and has done a decent job, much better than his earlier films that I have seen on Sun and KTV. But somewhere, the I-chew-all-my-dialogues-and-spit-them-out is still intact. And that's probably why I couldn't see him in the same league as former chocolate boys of Kollywood-Bollywood- Madhavan (Alaipayuthey wonly), Aamir Khan (QSQT), Surya (several films). Trisha looks lovely except for a few closeups where the pancake makeup doesn't quite help camouflage her puffy eyes. But acting wise - FAIL. Her eyes did not have love in it! Oru kerakkam venam?! Cha! Simbu enna maada? ore mathiri pathutu irukarathukku?

Vadakan The Veerakadha

Too much mallu-ing puts me off. The heroine is from the Mallu land, speaks Mallu on and off, there are scenes involving the entire family where the dialogues are fully "ende, unde , aaaaraaanu, oonu kazhinggghoo". Thank God I saw the English-subtitled version. Do the TN released prints have tamizh subtitled for mallu dialogues?

Vaat The Vorking

Two people in love, daddy and brother oppose. He yearns for her. She feels(?) for him. They sing together... dance together. They separate. They are back. We have seen all of this before. Its a simple plot yet narrated with no melodrama, aruvaal, Tata Sumo, "daaaai", thali sentiment, thangai sentiment etc. The burden is entirely on the lead and they have managed to pull it off quite well... at least till the first half.

Very Terrific Viewfinder

Super impressed with cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa (Eeram, Unnaipol Oruvan). He has managed to retain the very middle class look of the film through and through with no flashy look-I-am-the-cameraman compositions.

Vogue and The Vague

Trisha's sarees are going to become hot stuff post this film thanks to costume designer Nalini Sriram. But she could have done a much better job in the Western outfits. Those looked vague, put together in a hurry and terrible in the Kannukkul Kann song.

Very True Vaarthaigal

There were few really good one liners in the movie. Remember - Only a few! - One : "Un kannala yaarum enna pakala pola" , "Kathalukku ore tune thaan.. isaikku ore matham than" - Awesome!

Chinmayi's dubbing works for Trisha. Ganesh one of the producers who plays Simbhu's friend is damn funny (pun intended - "Luck favors the brave!").

Vinnai Taandiya Vinner...

...A R Rahman! Have been listening to all the songs for over a month now. My morning routine starts with Omana Penne moving on to Hosannah, Kannukkul Kannai, Anbil Avan, Vinnaithandi varuvaya, Mannippaya and ofcourse Aaromale. Two rotations of the songs are a must. The thing about ARR's songs is the simple melody enhanced by the arrangement. If you listen to them carefully, there will be a musical note heard far far away in the background or the extra 'gamakam'humming fading down in the second paragraph or a violin piece for 5 seconds in the middle of the song. In my opinion, these are the stuff that make them have great recall value.

In this film, there is a scene where Simbhu hums the ARR background score from Bombay, when he sees Trisha in the church. It goes "Pa sa ni sa ni sa ri sa ni dha pa ma ga pa ma ga ma ri". It instantly brought back the shot where Arvind Swamy looks at Manisha Koirala from the top and the camera going round from his point of view. Super!

Vaat The Vorking-not

I mentioned in one of the earlier paragraphs about the burden on the lead cast. In the second half it becomes extremely difficult for us to sit through 'coz of the same reason. Simbhu and Trisha are there in all the scenes through and through uttering the same thing again and again. Becomes repetitive after a point.

Songs are super but Gautam Menon disappoints with his picturization. Suddenly some Lou Bega types emerge from somewhere and point their fingers at us doing the rap-rap stuff. Disappointing.

Repetition - The director probably thinks that people who watch the film are dumb idiots who need to be told the same things several times over. The fact that Trisha's dad doesn't approve of inter-faith marriage and that Simbhu is totally in love with Trisha is repeated over and over again. And every dialogue between them has their name 'attached' at the end of it. "Unakku purilaya Karthik? Enga appa-kku idu pidikkadu Karthik. Karthik, enakku unna pidikkum Karthik!"... Ayyo! we know the names of the lead characters and we understand the problem between them. Why is this repeated like ten times in a scene?

Same thing with these three words 'I love you'. "Enakku unna romba pudikum Jessie, I love you" , "I want to make love to you Jessie, I love you Jessie", "Enakku ucha varuthu Jessie, I love you!" - Enough!!

"I love you" - ku kai iruntha thanna thaane nerichu konnukkum! paavam!

Vaat The Vague

Trisha and Simbhu meet at UK and suddenly the song shifts to US. Simbhu's debut film's credits have Manoj Paramahamsa as the cameraman. I thought Ganesh, his friend was the director of photography.

Samantha and Naga Chaitanya , son of Nagarjuna play Simbhu's on-screen hero, heroine. This guy can't act for nuts. And I am told he plays Simbhu's role in Telugu version. All the best Andhra-ites!

I am not for using foul language in films even if they are beeped out. The f word pops up pretty frequently. I am in a terrible rage about the Gay subject from yet another super-vetti movie - GOA. Please Gautham, Even though I dont consider you as a good film maker, many people are convinced that you are the next Manirathnam (Sheaat!!). So please stop using un-fucking-believable words in your movies. No Shit!

Vendaam This Vinai

In the last scene, Trisha asks Simbhu how he managed to get her number and he says "adutha padathula sollaren". Please... Vendame!

Voltage & The Vegam...

are missing in the film.The film is not pacy. It should not be, infact. You really don't mind the slow narrative in the first half because of Simbhu and Trisha. But its completely the opposite in the second half. You get put off with the repetitions ( Aint I repeating the same thing again and again? VTV influence I guess!) and the yawwwn climax. There is no high point in the film... everything is in a mega serial pace.

Vinnaithandi Varuvaya - A decent first half is spoilt by the mega boring second half.

Final thoughts:

Though I did not like the movie, though the love between the lead pair, the affection between Trisha's dad and herself were not justified, the subject was haunting. It rekindled all my memories. No credits given to Gautham menon. Many think this movie is a masterpiece only because they see themselves in Simbu and their lost love as Trisha (even when she is one attu piece!). As such the movie wasnt magical. Ellam nenachukarathuthan!

Few more thoughts:

Why is the protagonist in Gautham's movie always a Mechanical Engineering student?

Why is it always love at first sight in Gautham menon's movie?

Why should every character utter what they feel in a voice over?! Cant he make them act? "enakku intha vali pudichurukku" was a voice over - show the pain in your eyes blaaddy! - Disappointing!

Final verdict: Vaasalaye Thaandala - 2 out of 5