POOVE UNAKKAAGAA movie review by Balaji Balasubramaniam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cast: Vijay, Sangeetha, Anju Arvind, Nagesh, M.N.Nambiar, 'Malaysia' Vasudevan, Jaiganesh, Charlie Music: S.A.Rajkumar Direction: Vikraman
Before Thullaadha Manamum Thullum, before Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai, there was Poove Unakkaaga, which first gave Vijay the role of the soft, romantic hero. Since then he has played the role to great success in movies like Love Today and the aforementioned Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai, grabbing the top slot among the heroes of the present generation. Infact, his movies are the most sought after, after films starring Rajnikanth and Kamalhassan, among distributors in Tamil Nadu. But till this movie hit the screens, Vijay's sole claim to fame had been a string of low-budget movies, many of which were directed by his father S.A.Chandrasekharan. Those who endured Nenjinile will have an idea of what these movies were like. Most of them, like Rasigan, were quite vulgar and the presence of Vijay in a movie was a sure warning to lovers of good cinema to stay away. To Vikraman goes the credit for retooling his image and giving him a fresh lease of life.
The families of 'Malaysia' Vasudevan and Jaiganesh have been bitter enemies ever since the former's sister, Janaki, and the latter's brother, Robert, eloped. One fine day, they receive a letter from Raja(Vijay), the son of Robert and Janaki, saying that he intends to visit them. True to his word, he shows up and finds a residence in the same street. Winning over members of the family one by one, he confesses to being married when they try to fix him up with a girl of their choice. Nirmala(Sangeetha) shows up soon after, proclaiming to be his wife. When cornered, Raja reveals that he has a secret agenda for making sure the two feuding families come together and Nirmala too agrees to go along with his plan.
Vijay's love affair is the highlight of the movie and is one of the most well-handled romances in tamil movies. It is clean, sweet and well-picturised. But inspite of the winning love affair, the director would have achieved only partial success if he had concentrated less on the other portions. But Vijay's bringing together of the oldies in the families, especially the reunion of Nagesh and Nambiar, is very interesting too. There is a light vein of humour running through the whole movie and most scenes(such as the initial portions where the family members are introduced and later when they take a peek at Vijay without the others knowing) manage to bring a smile to our lips. The short segment with Sangeetha posing as Vijay's wife(whole movies, such as Nesam Pudhusu have been based on this theme) has its humorous moments too.
The movie also has some surprises up its sleeve(two just before the intermission and one in the climax) and they are definitely startling. The twist in the middle of the movie is especially unexpected and the director, rightly anticipating its impact, announces the intermission right after with "Idhu Eppadi Irukku?". The climax resists the temptation to take the well-trodden path of giving Vijay some oppurtunity for stunts(the setup is there with both Jaiganesh and 'Malaysia' Vasudevan organizing stick-wielding goons) and instead opts for an admittedly cinematic but clever solution to the problem. The director also follows this with an effective ending with Vijay's dialog making several fine points about love.
The one thing the movie lacks, which could have made it the perfect love story, is imaginative song sequences. Barring the one song which plays in the background while portraying Vijay's increasing love, the other song sequences are unimpressive. Even Aanandham Aanandham... is no great shakes and registers solely because it is played so many times(S.A.Rajkumar's usual formula for making a song a hit!).
Vijay brings the right mix of comedy and romance to his portrayal. He is playful during the initial sequences while hitting the right note as the soft-spoken youngster falling in love during the second half. Sangeetha and Anju Arvind look pretty. Nambiar and Nagesh have the largest roles among the rest of the cast and perform well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cast: Vijay, Sangeetha, Anju Arvind, Nagesh, M.N.Nambiar, 'Malaysia' Vasudevan, Jaiganesh, Charlie Music: S.A.Rajkumar Direction: Vikraman
Before Thullaadha Manamum Thullum, before Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai, there was Poove Unakkaaga, which first gave Vijay the role of the soft, romantic hero. Since then he has played the role to great success in movies like Love Today and the aforementioned Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai, grabbing the top slot among the heroes of the present generation. Infact, his movies are the most sought after, after films starring Rajnikanth and Kamalhassan, among distributors in Tamil Nadu. But till this movie hit the screens, Vijay's sole claim to fame had been a string of low-budget movies, many of which were directed by his father S.A.Chandrasekharan. Those who endured Nenjinile will have an idea of what these movies were like. Most of them, like Rasigan, were quite vulgar and the presence of Vijay in a movie was a sure warning to lovers of good cinema to stay away. To Vikraman goes the credit for retooling his image and giving him a fresh lease of life.
The families of 'Malaysia' Vasudevan and Jaiganesh have been bitter enemies ever since the former's sister, Janaki, and the latter's brother, Robert, eloped. One fine day, they receive a letter from Raja(Vijay), the son of Robert and Janaki, saying that he intends to visit them. True to his word, he shows up and finds a residence in the same street. Winning over members of the family one by one, he confesses to being married when they try to fix him up with a girl of their choice. Nirmala(Sangeetha) shows up soon after, proclaiming to be his wife. When cornered, Raja reveals that he has a secret agenda for making sure the two feuding families come together and Nirmala too agrees to go along with his plan.
Vijay's love affair is the highlight of the movie and is one of the most well-handled romances in tamil movies. It is clean, sweet and well-picturised. But inspite of the winning love affair, the director would have achieved only partial success if he had concentrated less on the other portions. But Vijay's bringing together of the oldies in the families, especially the reunion of Nagesh and Nambiar, is very interesting too. There is a light vein of humour running through the whole movie and most scenes(such as the initial portions where the family members are introduced and later when they take a peek at Vijay without the others knowing) manage to bring a smile to our lips. The short segment with Sangeetha posing as Vijay's wife(whole movies, such as Nesam Pudhusu have been based on this theme) has its humorous moments too.
The movie also has some surprises up its sleeve(two just before the intermission and one in the climax) and they are definitely startling. The twist in the middle of the movie is especially unexpected and the director, rightly anticipating its impact, announces the intermission right after with "Idhu Eppadi Irukku?". The climax resists the temptation to take the well-trodden path of giving Vijay some oppurtunity for stunts(the setup is there with both Jaiganesh and 'Malaysia' Vasudevan organizing stick-wielding goons) and instead opts for an admittedly cinematic but clever solution to the problem. The director also follows this with an effective ending with Vijay's dialog making several fine points about love.
The one thing the movie lacks, which could have made it the perfect love story, is imaginative song sequences. Barring the one song which plays in the background while portraying Vijay's increasing love, the other song sequences are unimpressive. Even Aanandham Aanandham... is no great shakes and registers solely because it is played so many times(S.A.Rajkumar's usual formula for making a song a hit!).
Vijay brings the right mix of comedy and romance to his portrayal. He is playful during the initial sequences while hitting the right note as the soft-spoken youngster falling in love during the second half. Sangeetha and Anju Arvind look pretty. Nambiar and Nagesh have the largest roles among the rest of the cast and perform well.
