Film: Nerungi Va Muthamidathe
Director: Lakshmy Ramakrishnan Cast: Shabeer, Pia Bajpai, Sruthi Hariharan, Y.Gee Mahendran, Viji.
While in her first film the director had made an attempt to depict a psychological disorder, this time she ventures into a road- flick. The title is catchy, the knot had the potential to make for a thrilling entertainer. But the film fails to touch a chord.
The plot is set against the backdrop of a fuel crisis. It opens on an intriguing note promising some thrilling moments to follow. A man emerges from the waters and goes for cover when he sees the police. The narration shifts to a different terrain where Chandru a lorry driver (debutant Shabeer) is asked by his employer to transport diesel from Trichy to Karaikal. He encounters various people on his road trip. Maha (debutant Sruthi) and her lover who have eloped and take refuge in Chandru’s lorry; Maya a college girl (Pia) and her friend who had met with an accident and become part of his journey; and a man who takes a lift and irritates everyone with his chatter (Ramaiah). There are the various back-stories, the narration moving back and forth frequently, at times distracting. New turns and twists keep getting added, generating no new interest nor lending conviction to the narration.
The plot returns to the thriller mode towards the end, but by then it’s a lost cause. The political-criminal nexus; the caste divide; and treason all make part of the script. It’s a meandering screenplay with the treatment amateurish at times. And in such a scenario the ensemble cast of talented actors are barely able to leave a mark. If an actor manages to leave some impact with a performance consistent and effective ,it is Y.Gee Mahendran as Chandru’s belligerent father and the owner of a petrol bunk. The mother-daughter relationship (Viji-Pia) hardly makes an impact. Viji gets a flattering make-over ,a more modern savvy avatar as a popular singer. The end seems to be more of a consolation price for the hero, who didn’t have a romantic pairing. Neither meaningful nor entertaining, ‘Nerungi Va....’ is disappointing fare.