Tamil movie review - nootrenbadhu '180'

Clear, clean visuals. A good looking, well dressed cast. No battles or bloodshed beyond the toiling of broken hearts. Nootri Enbadhu is a welcome shower in the midst of the gritty, sweltering heat of mass flicks and crude rural dramas. P. Jayendra, welcome to Tamil Cinema! He's no novice in direction (he's been making ad films for decades) but Nootri Enbadhu is his maiden attempt at a full-length feature film. Produced by Sathyam Cinemas and Aghal Films, Nootri Enbadhu is an impressive directorial debut with an interesting plot, good pace, well-picked stars, apt music and a twist in the tale!

The movie has a handful of characters, thus making for a very simple and straightforward narrative. There is Mano (Siddharth) who we meet at the very beginning of the movie. He appears to be a sombre and serious person, when we meet him on the banks of the Ganges in the holy city of Kashi. But by the time he reaches Chennai, he appears as a happy-go-lucky guy who lives life to the fullest in his own little quirky ways. Through Mano, we meet Vidya (Nithya Menen), a photo journalist who captures the extraordinary in the ordinary through her camera. The meetings between Mano and Nithya are not of the usual boy-meets-girl type. The situations are new, but at the same time, totally plausible and believable. Then there are other characters; a group of paper boys who are friends of Mano and Mr. and Mrs. Murthy, in whose house Mano resides.

The film also has Ajay (Siddharth), a doctor in San Francisco, America. He accidentally meets Renuka aka Renu (Priya Anand) and like all filmi boy and girl meetings, this develops into love. We also have Sam, Ajay's close friend, Renu's parents and Ajay's widowed mother in the story.

The story develops over what happens when the worlds of Ajay and Mano intersect and how their past and present affect the lives of all those involved with them. What does 180 mean to the story? All this and more unfolds as you watch the movie.

Jayendra has spun a classy tale of love and Sharreth has woven absolutely blissful music into it. When the visuals and the music come together, there is a harmony that makes this romance all the more delightful. Two numbers that make quite an impact are 'AJ' and 'Nee Korinaal'. The melodies, combined with the silken chemistry between Siddharth and Priya, plus the beautiful visuals, are a treat to be enjoyed and remembered! Balasubramaniem's camera work deserves special mention. All through the movie, everything looks fabulous and refreshing. From the banks of the Ganges to the by lanes of Chennai, and finally the skyline of San Francisco, everything looks picture-perfect and yet realistic. Even in the most sombre sequences, the elegance of the shots is remarkable.

As for the performances... Welcome back Siddharth! He carries the entire movie on his shoulders and at no point does he show the slightest strain. Priya looks gorgeous. Special applause to the stylist! Going beyond looks, we must add that in terms of acting and emoting, she is on target. Nithya Menen as the effervescent journo does her part well. In the few scenes in which they appear, Geetha and Mouli (as the elderly couple that owns Mano's rented apartment) prove their expertise as veteran actors!

Coming to the hitches... There are a few, but nothing very jarring. The first song 'Rules Kidayathu', is entirely shot in super slow motion. While it is an interesting experiment and some of the visuals are brilliant, an entire song in slow motion does get tedious. Being a veteran ad film maker, Jayendra did not need nearly 180 minutes to tell the story of 180; that's probably why the first half seems to take much more than an hour, when in reality it's just a little over 60 minutes. But post interval, the thrill sets in and you'll forget all about your watch! The last half hour could have been more taut, but the drama does accentuate the grim shadow of death lurking in the background.

All in all, a good effort that's bound to appeal to the urban youth, definitely worth a watch.

Review by Kaanchan B. and Padma Iyer