When Vijay Sethupathi was signed up for a film to be produced by Dhanush (who had given a break for Sivakarhtikeyan with the superhit film 'Ethirneechal') and directed by Vignesh Sivan (whose debut film 'Poda Podi' was with Siambarasan in thelead ) and the dazzling Nayanthara as the heroine, the film 'Naanum Rowdu Dhaan' gathered enough attention from film buffs. The first look poster which showed a clean shaven Vijay Sethupathi with a tonned physique and also the promising teasers and trailers and the super hit music album by Anirudh Ravichander tilted the film to the 'eagerly anticipated' list of film buffs. How has the film turned out to be? Read on the review.
Pandi (Vijay Sethupathi) is a wannabe rowdy and the son of a police officer (Radhika). While his mother wants him to become a police officer, Pandi roams around with his group of friends projecting himself as a local goon while really he is a normal person fearing the might of rowdies.
He meets Kadambari (Nayanthara) whose father is an upright police official (Azhagam Perumal) goes missing on his mission to kill a gang leader Killi Valvan (Parthiepan) on revenge. Kadambari is alone and moves around with Paandi in search of her father. Kadambari wants to kill Killi Valvan and seeks Pandi's support for it.
Pandi accepts this life threatening challeng not out of his love for Kadambari but also because he wants to prove that he is a real rowdy to himself as well as the world. What happens to the duo on this mission forms the rest of the film.
Director Vignesh Sivan seems to have capitalized on the three years gap from the release of his first film to prepare and serve a neat and no-nonsense entertainer.
As expected the film banks on comedy and romance with a relatable undercurrent of emotion and not so larger than life action sequences. The blend works out really well and the film is thoroughly entertaining with hardly a dull moment.
While the first half after providing a lot of laughter with situational comedy and impactful emotional sequences, sets the tone for a thrilling chase for life sequences. The second half surprisingly offers more moments to laugh and this strange and risky mixture of comedy and thirst for revenge does not fall flat.
Vignesh Sivan has proved his caliber in dealing with emotions in family bonding, love and friendship. Especially the love between the lead pair is refreshing and the decision taken by the lead characters are convincing. Though the story is about a girl using his lover for revenge and the boy is ready to do any sacrifice for his girl, thankfully there is no women bashing at all and this part of the story is portrayed in a dignified manner.
With such a story and a hero who has considerable fan base the director could have opted for larger than life heroism and make the audience to cheer and applaud with punch dialogues and fight sequences, forgetting the logic. But the film is completely devoid of large than life heroic antics but still it entertains a lot and that makes 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' a more relatable and enjoyable film. And the film retains the thrill and unpredictability as a high scoring point.
On the downside the placement of songs in the first half makes a little impact in the pace of narration. As the larger than life aspect is eliminated the script has to depend on some convenient turns of events which do not exceed the tolerable limit. The climax sequence looks a bit over stretched.
It is highly refreshing to see Vijay Sehtupathi in such a youthful character with loads of scope for comedy and emotions and the actor uses the scope in all aspects and shines through out. He should be specially appreciated for avoiding the temptation to go for large than life roles as an easy way out to climb up the star ladder but still entertains and fits in well as a commercial hero.
Nayanthara as a brave and committed girl who loses her hearing ability due to an accident has given one of her best performances in her career. Throughout the film she appears with the same kind of costumes ,but looks ravishing and younger than her earlier films. Her 'first time' dubbing in Tamil is impeccable and cute also.
Parthiepan has acted in a complete negative role and has more scope to perform in the second half especially towards the climax. The veteran retains his charm of unique dialogues and the way of delivering them and is likable as usual.
Radhika as a realistic police officer and an affectionate mother is convincing while Azhagam Perumal is impressive in his short role. RJ Balaji again makes us laugh with his signature style of comic one-liners that rely more on spoofing recent Tamil films and some real life characters. Anand Raj as a comic don and Mansoor Ali Khan as a politician fit the bill while that old man appearing as a brave friend and aide of Vijay Sethupathi is simply hilarious.
Anirudh's songs are already chartbusters and the way they are filmed give a pleasant watch. Lyrics of Vignesh Sivan in 'Kannana Kanne' and 'Varava Varava' songs deserve special mention. Re-recording is passable. The cinematography of George.C.Williams is good throughout with unique tone and angles especially in the night scenes. Art Director deserves kudos for the realistic and beautiful portrayal of Pondicherry and Noth Chennai fishing hamlets.
Overall 'Naanum Rowdy Dhaan' is a fulfilling commercial entertainer that will be liked by all in a family.
Verdict : The best bet for a family outing in this festival weekend.
