Sasikumar excels in well-made 'Nadodigal'

Film: 'Nadodigal'; Director: Samuthirakkani; Cast: Sasikumar, Abhinaya, Anaya, Vijay Vasanth, Bharani and Ganja Karuppu; Music: Sundar C. Babu; Rating: *** 1/2

In an industry where friendship and loyalty are most often not reciprocated, the duo of Sasikumar and Samuthirakkani are quite different. Sasikumar made the latter play an important role in his 'Subramaniapuram' while he plays the hero in Samuthirakkani's 'Nadodigal'. It's indeed a mystery as to why many top actors refused to do this film - their loss is only Sasikumar's gain as he excels in the role offered to him.

Sasikumar's subtle underplay has enhanced the effectiveness of his character. As an actor, his array of facial expressions is quite bewildering. Bharani emotes in an extraordinary manner throughout the film.

In the film, Karuna (Sasikumar), Chandran (Vijay Vasanth) and Pandian (Bharani) are three youths in a small town. They share a good camaraderie and their friendship spills over to their respective families too.

One day, Karuna's close friend Saravanan makes a suicide bid unable to bear his failure in love. The girl is the daughter of a bigwig while Saravanan is the son of a powerful former legislator. The friends try their best to unite Saravanan and his ladylove but are shattered when their plans go awry.

The film does carry an appealing message for today's jet-age society - it's shocking yet powerful.

Each and every actor has managed to get under skin of the characters they have been asked to portray. Karuppu keeps the audience in good humour with his comic act. Bharani, Vijay and Sasi have all put in top-notch performances while the leading ladies Abhinaya, Anaya and Nivetha don't disappoint either.

The background score by Sundar C. Babu is fantastic. The song 'Sambo siva sambo' is quite alluring. The dialogues by Samuthirakkani are very natural. The screenplay seems to falter a little here and there but the overall performances by the lead actors makes one overlook minor glitches.

The open ending with the group of friends on their next task is a great idea. Don't miss 'Nadodigal'.