Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathe

My review: Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathe


Lakshmy Ramakrishnan after her impressive debut "Aarohanam", impresses yet again with her second feature film "Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathe" (NVM). Basically a road film, the story happens on a day when the country is stifled with petrol crisis. Movie follows the protagonist Chandru and his encounter with multiple characters on his journey from Trichy to Karaikaal. The effortless ease with which Laskshmy has handled the non-linearity of the screenplay is brilliant. 

The story is simple but the tension that the writer-director so seamlessly able to infuse into the narrative keeps you engrossed. At first you tend to feel exasperated with the number of characters that we are introduced to and the pace with which things unfold. But as the narrative settles down and you get acquainted with the characters the movie gets intriguing. NVM is the kind of movie that warrants active viewing. You have be at your attentive best to piece together the happenings to get a proper sense of what is going on. 

On the down side, with the kind of build up the narrative sets itself with, towards the end the climax unfolds without any modicum of tension whatsoever, make you feel let down. The end twist could have been conceived a bit better but then that is what most mainstream commercial makers are there for. This movie is more about the intelligence of the writer and the viewer. 



Movie has many characters, yet each of them make a mark on their own. Even a passing character, each have their own arc has an impact on the viewer. A single mother who at the first glance deceives you with her appearance and behavior, a somber mobile-game playing cop who suddenly boils over when questioned about his casualness, a callous friend who slips out as soon as someone talks about police are example of how meticulously each and every characters are etched out. Shabeer is good, apt for the role. His understated performance gels well with the narrative while Pia Bajpai does her bit well too. Movie has bevy of actors in its support cast and everyone of them have done their parts well. 

Movie looks technically sound. Vinod Bharathi's cinematography is good, keeps it simple. Medley Blues' background score and the songs blend seamlessly within the narrative. On the whole, NVM is a thoroughly entertaining movie which entails an active viewing and some degree of patience.

Bottomline: A good movie.

3.5/5  

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