Film: Trisha Illana Nayanthara
Director: Adhik Ravichandran
Cast: G.V.Prakash, Anandhi, Manisha Yadav, VTV Ganesh
It tracks the love life of a youngster who falls in and out of love, moves on fast enough after each break, distracted by the next pretty young thing who enters his life. Targetted at youngsters, the 'A' rated flick is bold in its take, on the lines of sex-comedies like 'American Pie'. But at times one does feel that the director instead of compromising at places, could have gone the whole way. Prakash's next release after the ghostly 'Darling', the actor has improved in his expressions.
The film opens on a train where a sozzled Jeeva (Prakash) narrates his love- life to a stranger. We go on a flashback-mode to the events that had botched up his love life and driven him to take the train to Kumbakonam and to his sympathetic uncle. It is a cute opening to the past, and to the three babies born on the same day, same time and at the same hospital. Jeeva, Ramya and Adithi grow up as friends, sharing their birthdays. Interestingly crafted, there are quite a few amusing moments here. A few years later when Adithi leaves the place with her family, Jeeva and Ramya now in their 12th Standard, move close to each other. The scenes that follow have a natural feel. Two youngsters in their first flush of love, curious and exploring, catch some intimate moments together. There is the coming-of-age scene for Jeeva, where Ramya offers her cheek for a first kiss, the shot followed by the one of water sprouting from a pipe nearby. It’s appreciable that the director avoids the stereotyped gender- differentiation here. It’s Ramya (Anandhi of 'Kayal') who makes the first move, eager and passionate in her expression of love to Jeeva (Prakash). Anandhi's sweet disposition, engaging smile and spontaneity makes these moments watchable. The 'kiss and tell' factor however spoils the bonding between the duo. But with Adithi re-entering his life, the heartbroken Jeeva loses no time falling for her. Adithi (Manisha) is glamorous, has a fondness for liquor, is outspoken about her desires. While Ramya believed that 'Love is not lust', for Adithi 'Love was 'matter' and 'doing it'. Not coy about her sexual preferences, Adithi at a point remarks that she was put off by men who drove speedily under the influence of liquor. The booze is like another character in the film, with almost everyone on a boozing binge. Jeeva's overbearing attitude and his trying to control her life puts off Adithi. A woman's point of view is presented here, in the 'if men can do it why can't women?' scenario. Manisha as Adithi who could have been easily mistaken for the vamp of the piece in another setting, fits the bill here and ups the glamour quotient.
The uncle (Ganesh) who had appeared in the earlier scenes advising his nephew on his love -life, re-enters the scenario. There is this moment where Jeeva laments to his uncle that he was the only virgin around the place. And the uncle replies something like, 'virginity has become extinct since the dinasour times'. Now another love-guru (Simran) takes over to help Jeeva gain back Ramya his first love. One finds it difficult to connect to Simran as Ramya's aunt, her close-up shots too, unflattering to her. The scenes could have been better crafted here. The aunt's sub-plot, with Yugi Sethu as her husband on a 'beer' research project, seems irrelevant and distracting. The appearance of a brick-throwing psycho peps up the narration. Bold in its take, and playing to the gallery at times, the film targeted at youngsters is promising work from a debutant maker.