‘Seedan’ (Tamil, Drama)
Director: Subramaniyam Siva
Cast: Dhanush, Jai Krishna, Ananya, Vivek, Chemmeen Sheela and Suhasini.
Sensitively crafted with subtle nuances and with good performance from the cast, the movie ‘Nandanam’ was a fresh experience that caught audience’s hearts in Kerala a decade back. And now the film has come to Tamil as ‘Seedan’ without the essence and soul of the original version — thanks to the flunked changes and the cast’s lackluster performance.
Set in Palani, the movie opens on Maha (Ananya), who is working as a maid at the palatial mansion of the aging matriarch Amritha Paatti (Sheela).
A great devotee of Lord Muruga, Maha has the habit of pouring out her woes in front of the lord’s picture in her room. She dreams of getting married to an ideal youth and when the same face appears at her door, Maha is shocked and thrilled.
He is Mano (debutant Jai Krishna could have done with more confidence and energy), the grandson of the matriarch, on a short visit to his ancestral home before taking off to London to work.
As we’re used to, it’s love at first sight for him and he starts flirting with Maha instantly. But when Mano’s mother (Suhasini, just failing to connect with her role) comes down from Bangalore to finalise his wedding with her niece, Maha sees her dreams shattering.
Enter Saravanan (Dhanush), the new cook of the household. His encouragement to make Maha think positive, coupled with some ‘divine intervention’ changes the course of the affair.
In the Malayalam ‘Nandanam’, Saravanan’s role was crucial to the story, but it was played from the sidelines. But here it’s very up-front, yet missing out on the subtlety of the character.
Dhanush tries hard to give his all, but only succeeds in appearing as if he’s in a perpetually constipated state.
It’s surely not one of the better performances of the actor. Ananya, so refreshing in ‘Nadodigal’, only hams it up here. What brings in some relief is Vivek’s godman act. All his comic antics may not be funny, but in this dreary, monotonous love saga, he manages to draw smiles from the audience. ‘Seedan’ is an example of how a classic, differently etched entertainer, can be turned into a pedestrian, old-fashioned one.