Movie: Nanbenda (Nannbenda)
Direction: Jagadish
Cast: Udhayanidhi Stalin, Nayantara, Santhanam, Karunakaran, Sherin,
Music Director: Harris Jayaraj
Cinematography: Balasubramaniam
Editor: Vivek Harshan
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Rating: ∗½
What is it about: Our protagonist, Udhayanidhi is from Tanjore, and visits his best friend , none other than Santhanam, once a month in Trichy without fail. His superstitious mother firmly believes and has told him that if he sees a girl thrice on the same day, they are destined to be married. On one of his trips, as chance would have it, he ends up seeing the lovely Nayanthara thrice on the same day and is thereafter convinced he is going to marry her! He begins wooing her and repeatedly tries to impress her with various antics. At one point, Nayanthara opens up and earnestly shares a grim story from her past and our hero ends up finding it hilarious and laughs at her. She understandably gets very upset and firmly tells him to leave her alone and to stop courting her immediately. The Santhanam and Udhayanidhi duo are then determined to change her mind, which leads to them being thrown into a series of incidents that get them into trouble after which, albeit predictably, our hero finally gets the heroine’s acceptance.
Why it’s disappointing: The director Jagadish, being Rajesh’s associate has replicated his style completely and it’s the repetitive Udhayanidhi and Santhanam combination that lacks a strong story line. Throughout the film, the lead actors are seen addressing women in a way that comes across a little crudely (Maybe this 21ST century will see the end of women being called an ‘item’, like in the movie and usher in the era of responsible storytelling). Harris’s music is also very disappointing and forgettable. It feels like a lot of the scenes were unnecessary and along with the wobbly storyline, that leaves a lot to be desired. Sherin returns to the screen after ages and things just aren’t the same.
What to watch out for: Balasubramayam’s cinematography is colourful and well shot. Nayanthara is as dapper as ever while Udhayanidhi’s dance moves have definitely improved compared to earlier. A special kudos to Brinda Master. As expected, Santhanam’s classic one liner comedy style is a hit.
Verdict: A boring movie with a weak story line. The directors have to keep in mind that they cannot fool the audience of today by doing similar scripts with different names.
 Movie Review - Cinema Glitz, A predictable, trying-too-hard comedy flick by Udhayanidhi and team){kind=link}