Idhu Namma Aalu (Tamil, 2016)

Silambarasan has an unmatchable screen presence that cannot be acquired just by training. He delivers a virtuoso performance movie across 3 looks with ease. His calm demeanor & smooth yet sarcastic dialogue modulation takes us back to his glorious Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa days. He shines in the supermarket ad sequence which is well-written and acted too.

The team has hit the jackpot with respect to the casting of the leading ladies as Nayanthara & Andrea ooze serenity & class on screen without any overt glamour. While Nayathara amazes in her role as the mature Myla, Andrea fits the bill of girly Priya to a T.

The supporting actors such as Jayaprakash and the parents of Myla, have been cast well and bring some credibility to the tale. Soori can be called the film’s savior as he delights us with his constant wise-cracks. Even during the scenes with Santhanam, it is Soori who looks more comfortable in his space. The fact that it is simply unimaginable to sit through the second half without Soori talks volumes about his effect.

The film has some good music with the songs placed well at regular intervals. While the second half song placement is questionable, the songs in the first half fit in very well with the narrative. The idea of filling the narrative with smileys & incoming/outgoing call graphics is well-conceived.

Even considering the storyline or knot to be fresh, the script treatment & dialogues leaves much to be desired. There are quite a few false climaxes and the excessive focus on the ‘love-talk’ between the lead pair certainly test the patience of the audience. Even real lovers would be irritated by amount of cheesy talk on display. Also, it feels almost criminal to bring in an angle which is so far away from the narrative just to cut to a ‘kuthu’ song.

[spoiler] While it is unjustifiable from a certification angle for a ‘U’ certified film to show the leading lady slit her wrists, what’s more surprising is the inexplicable shift in the character arc of a lady who until then looks in supreme control of the happenings around her.

Balasubramaniem’s camerawork overall is pleasing to the eye and he in fact needs to be lauded for the classy indoor shots as well as the attractive song sequences. However, the repeated usage of the drone-shot irks the viewer. In fact in some cases the resolution of the drone shots seem utterly different from the film that spoils the experience for the viewer. Wonder how the editing department Okayed them.