At a time when the film-makers opt for extravagance and slapstick comedy, director Ahmed has stayed away from them and delivered a meaningful film. The movie did not have a huge buzz surrounding it, except for few good melodies from Harris Jayaraj. This low buzz has in fact done wonders for the film. If you go into the cinema hall without any expectations, you are sure to come out with a broad smile, and probably a tear drop.
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Plot
The movie revolves around childhood friends Gowtham (Jiiva), Sri (Vinay) and Baby (Santhanam), who run an advertisement production company. There are the best of friends in the town, and you can see them together everywhere. Gowtham is strongly against getting married as he does not like women. He also makes Sri and Baby promise him that they won’t get married too. However, Sri and Baby get married, which leads to the parting of the three friends. In a parallel track, Priya (Trisha) comes into the life of Gowtham and impacts his life. The climax has a little twist, which gives a heart-warming end to the film.
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Performances
Jiiva looks as youthful as ever and in the role of an egoistic guy, he pulls off a great show. He is splendid in the scenes in which he gets transformed as a different person in the second half. Jiiva is at his best when he does classy roles like this one. Santhanam is back with a bang, to say the least. The spontaneity and the witty one-liners, which were missing in his past few films, drives this film. Even in serious scenes, he comes up with funny dialogues to lighten up the mood.
After a string of failures, Vinay has proved that he can be more than convincing in the right scripts. Be it in the first half, where he is seen as a flirtatious guy, or in the second half, when he turns serious, he fits in his role perfectly. Trisha looks angelic as usual and she has good screen presence in the second half. Her cute expressions go a long way in making the film effectively reach the audience. Andrea is good in her extended cameo act, while Nassar as a doting father is brilliant in his role.
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Technicalities
It is not without a reason why Harris Jayaraj does lesser number of films each year, when compared to his counterparts. It is pretty evident that he takes time to compose soulful tunes and also give the best BGM. ‘Vaan Engum Nee Minna’ and ‘Ennai Saaithaalae’ are lovely melodies, while ‘Yealae Yealae Dosthu Da’ is a peppy friendship song. Due credits should be given to cinematographer Madhi for canning these songs in an exquisite manner. Editors Praveen-Srikanth have made sure that the first half is thoroughly engaging. They could have trimmed a few scenes in the second half though. The costume designer needs a special mention for the colourful clothes.
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Direction – Ahmed
It is not very often you would come across a film like ‘Endrendrum Punnagai’. When most of the films show the lead actors falling for each other at the drop of a hat, Ahmed’s guts to bring it out in a very poignant manner is laudable. There is never a dull moment in the first half, which completely revolves around the friends. The introduction song is very hilarious as well as fresh, and sets the right tone for the film.
One of the main positives of this film is that it does not revolve around any one actor, as the screenplay takes the center stage. There are no unnecessary fight sequences in the film or crass double entendres. On the flip side, things do drag a little in the second half. However, on the whole, ‘Endrendrum Punnagai’ is a must watch due to its emotional content.
Bottomline
‘Endrendrum Punnagai’ is an adorable tale of friendship and love, which shouldn’t be missed.
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