Set against the backdrop of horseracing, the plot centers on a quartet who get entangled in betting on horse races. For a debutant Arun Krishnaswamy (apprenticed with Bhoopathi Pandian), makes his move with fair competence, as he makes a valiant effort to blend the various elements of love, friendship, betting, double cross and betrayal, into a coherent whole.
The earlier scenes introduce us to the crucial characters in the drama. Vikram is a habitual gambler (Bharath) who reels under heavy debt. Mini is the girl he instantly falls for (Chandini). Sridhar is a simple youngster (Kathir) and an old classmate of Vikram. Inba (Sanchita) is Sridhar’s flatmate.
Nakulan is a horse owner (Radharavi) who returns to the races after five years (winning the race a matter of pride with him), and his ruthless rival Sharma (Yog Japi) is lording over the horse-racing business. The youngsters are in dire need of money for various reasons. The intense rivalry between the horse owners and how the fortune of the quartet gets linked to illegal betting, forms the rest.
It begins when Vikram tapes a conversation between Nakulan and Sharma and learns about the race that was going to be fixed. Vikram uses his instincts to take advantage of the situation. Loosely based on the English film ‘Let It Ride’, the story is a refreshing one for Tamil audiences.
The first half is fast paced. The moments of growing attraction between Sridhar-Inba is well developed, the one between Vikram-Mini superficial. Amusing is the scene where a rat plays a matchmaker of sorts to the Sridhar-Inba affair.
The director has balanced the space given to each of his characters, shifting from one to the other seamlessly. There are a couple of mild twists and turns. It’s in the second half when expediency is required, that the narration stalls a little.
After the interval, when one wonders how the missing deal-money would be tracked down and its repercussions on the quartet, the director shifts focus to the romantic interludes, slackening the momentum. It picks up speed again towards the closing scenes at the race course, where the final race is being held. The ending is a suitable one.
The film would have been a riveting thriller, if only it had more punch and fizz with the second part spruced up a bit. In 106 minutes of viewing time, Ennodu… is a promising work from a debutant maker.