NESAM PUDHUSU

A movie review by Balaji Balasubramaniam

Cast:	Ranjit, Priya Raman, Senthil, Vadivelu, 'Kovai' Sarala, Ajay Rathnam, 'Sangili' Murugan, Kanthimathi
Music:	Bobby
Direction:	Vel-Karthik

One of the thoughts that comes to mind while watching Nesam Pudhusu is the proverbial quote "been there, done that". Or should that be "been there, seen that"? The movie takes us down the familiar path of a play-acting couple who initially can't stand each other but then see their affection for each other grow as they spend more time together. Sure, there are no factors that would make me warn you to keep away from the movie. But at the same time, there is nothing here to make me recommend it either.

The transformation of reel-romance to real-romance happened during the filming of this movie too. The lead couple, Ranjit and Priya Raman, fell in love and married during the making of this movie. But news of their romance was all but drowned in the hoopla surrounding the romance of the much more high-profile couple, Ajith and Shalini, during the making of Amarkkalam.

Vasanthi(Priya Raman) comes to town as a teacher saying that her husband works in the military. When her uncle(Ajay Rathnam) comes to take her away, Ranjit arrives proclaiming that he is her husband. They continue acting as a couple to maintain each other's secret. Vasanthi soon explains that she had been in love with Suresh, an engineer, and he would be coming to take her back. Ranjit reveals that it was from her letter to Suresh that he had learnt about her plight and decided to take advantage of it and that Suresh had given her a false address. But she doesn't believe him and is rewarded when Suresh finally shows up in the village.

It is the director duo's first time behind the camera and their inexperience shows right in the first scene where Ranjit is introduced. The comic potential in this scene is sadly wasted and a jumpstart to the movie is denied. The directors also show a woeful lack of skill at generating or maintaining suspense and this decreases the viewer's involvement in the movie. One example of this is the handling of Priya Raman's past. The introduction of a past affair for Priya Raman is a surprise but the issue, which should have livened up the proceedings, loses its effect since it is clear how it is going to be resolved. The name Suresh crops up in a dialog by another character and by avoiding this, the directors could've maintained the suspense for a longer time.

Ranjit's gradual change of heart is handled neatly. The flashbacks to his corresponding experiences in jail whenever he is called upon to do something are clever and his reasons for turning over a new leaf sound sincere. But Priya Raman's character doesn't have the same clarity. Her attitude towards Ranjit is even confusing and at some points I wasn't sure of whether she still hated him or had started liking him. The bickerings between Ranjit and Priya Raman when they pose as a couple have not been handled very interestingly. While the setups are usually interesting (the religious function, the school photo, etc.), the payoffs are disappointing. To see the amount of fun that this kind of a setup can generate, just watch the Malayalam movie Chitram, with Mohanlal and Ranjini. The climax earns some respect by deviating slightly from the tried-and-tested path.

The comedy portions of the movie are handled by a separate person. The first sequence, where Vadivelu is questioned in the panchayat, is passable and another sequence, where Vadivelu and 'Kovai' Sarala meet in a temple and he kidnaps her with disastrous consequences for him, produces hearty laughs. But the other sequences are just intolerable. Senthil, as Ranjit's friend, has some timely one-liners(especially the one about Ranjit hoisting the Indian flag and Gandhi's reaction!).

Ranjit exhibits enough poise for a hero but seems to be imitating Parthiban at several places(influence of Pudhumai Pithan, where they starred together?). Priya Raman looks pretty but her range of histrionics seems to be rather limited. I am seeing 'Sangili' Murugan and Kanthimathi on screen after a rather long time but neither has an important role. Meena Meena... sounds melodious among newcomer Bobby's songs but all the songs are rather unnecessary and happen at inappropriate times.