CHENNAI: It was more than a decade back that she made her debut as a director with Puthiya Ragam, where she played the lead too. And now yesteryears heroine Jayachithra returns with her second directorial venture which she also scripts and is the producer. This time it’s her son Amresh Ganesh debuting as a hero under his mother’s guidance.
The story centers around Amresh (Amresh) a student of visual communication who gets a break in a film as a hero. He gets alienated from his lady love Aishwarya (Arya Menon) and his family, particularly his disciplinarian father (Nasser cutting a sorry figure). Amresh rises to starry heights and goes on to win the national award, making his father proud. Reconciliation is to follow soon. Raghav, the son of a financier, who is in love with Aishwarya plays the villain (overdoing his part). Amresh has also composed the music, penned lyrics and has sung a couple of songs as well. Too much of a burden on the 21 year old debutant, one would think. But he’s done a good job with music. The songs are peppy and pleasant. As an actor he does seem to have the potential.
The script is weakly etched, the film has a 70s feel. Another problem with the film is the director’s over-enthusiasm, misplaced confidence and her naivete, that it would all work to advantage. She has tried to capsule all the emotions possible in a single role and project all facets of her son’s acting prowess. But in the grossest way possible. One feels sorry for Amresh, as he tries valiantly to stand up to all that melodrama. If only he were better guided. Another drawback is his voice, which sounds like Simbu’s on a bad day which could have been better modulated.
Cutting a worse figure is director P Vasu, and KS Raviklumar, who play themselves in the film. The scenes they are shooting on Amresh for their respective films, generate a lot of unintended humour, showing these seasoned directors-actors in poor light. Also, the scene from the film for which Amresh had won a national award is a replica of the famous Kattabomman scene where Sivaji Ganeshan taunts the British envoy. But the young hero going totally out of control here, and the scene poorly shot too, one suspects the credibility of the National award jury. Naane Ennul Illai is a case of good intention gone haywire.