Comedy king Goundamani made a comeback after a long gap with last year’s ’49 0’ which was a serious film. This year the legendary comedian is back with debutant director Ganapathy Balamurugan’s ‘Enakku Veru Engum Kilaigal Kidadhu’ which has a lot to offer in terms of satire and comedy that one would expect from Goundamani and he makes it watchable.
Krishna (Goundamani) rents caravan to be used for heroes and heroines during film shoots. He leads a happy life and involves in conducting marriages for lovers who have eloped due to opposition from parents. One such couple Prabanandhan (Soundararaja) and Divya(Riythvika) from Madurai come to Chennai fearing that the latter’s family would not approve of their love. Devi’s father is the leader of a caste based political party while Prabanandhan is an activist who locks horns with him.
Krishna spots the young couple, while being confronted by goons sent by Divya ’s father and takes the responsibility of uniting them in marriage. How he does that forms the rest.
As evident in the promotional materials including the trailer, the film rides high on the popularity and expectation on Goundamani. Even the film’s title reads as ‘Goundamaniyin Enakku Veru Engum Kilaigal Kidaiyadhu’ in Censor certificate. And the veteran has not faulted the maker’s dependence on him. If not for anything else, the film definitely deserves a watch for Goundamani’s satirical one liners as he trolls everyone from politicians, film stars and commoners and also utters some progressive dialogues against casteism. He criticizes some leading heroines for carrying their caste related surname. He also boldly takes a dig on many film celebrities. If Goundamani cannot do all these, who else can? Don’t leave the theaters at the point when you felt the film has ended. The film continues a little more with some really laugh worthy satires of Goundamani. In short, ‘Goundamani is back.’
Debutant director Ganapathy Balamurugan also shows some promise with some smart ideas here and there. The film could have easily started with the lead character being a successful and rich businessman. But the writer-director shows some care to portray this convincingly. The film starts with the backs story of the lead character which says how he gets involved in the caravan trade, how he is skilled and smart enough to be successful in his business and lead a happy life despite not getting formal education etc. This is definitely appreciable.
Secondly the character sketch of Goundamani carries the signature of an intelligent writer. He is a rationalist who follows Periyar and has a great influence of Amir Khan starrer super hit ‘PK’, a Bollywood blockbuster hailed for trolling all forms of superstitions. He is modern in thoughts and updated with latest technology.
In contrast his wife (Sana) is a staunch believer of god and astrology. The contrast between these two characters and the mutual affection despite such differences, have been well utilized to create some likeable if not great scenes.
As a script the film does not offer anything new and just moves on predictable lines. The story lacks depth and the script does not carry the entertainment value as much as a regular moviegoer would expect. The writer-director has put in efforts to neatly portray the conflict between traditional elders and modern youngsters. But the portions of this love story which takes over a predominant part of the second half is given a convenient and simplistic solution.
The film could have had offered more on entertainment front with someone like Goundamani in the lead. There some giggle worthy moments especially in the portrayal of the group of rowdies (the actors who appear as the accomplices of Bobby Simha in ‘Jigarthanda’) who end up as comedians but they are not enough.
The script is inconsistent at places. For instance in the beginning, a character says that Goundamani has conducted 12 love marriages. But after sometime, someone invites him for a felicitation for conducting 50 love marriages. Many scenes prove to be a mere addition to increase the running length. The director could have added a few more interesting ideas to makes the film more engaging, which could have given a fulfilling experience of watching a film.
Goundamani gives his best for the role and it won't be an overstatement to say that he carries the film on his shoulders. He also gets to dance and show off some heroic gestures and he does not leave anything to be complained in doing these. However his age and its effect on his physique are visible. Sana who comes as Goundamani’s wife fulfills the requirement of her role. Playback singer Ramachandran as Goundamani’s accomplice makes his presence felt.Soundararaja and Riythvika give neat performances and give the right expressions for the subtle romance track. The actor who comes has Riythvika’s father gives an appreciable performance.
Out of the four songs of S.N.Arunagiri, 'Devathai unnai' and ‘Adha Idhanu’ are the two songs that are pleasant to listen as melodies fitting well in the semi-rural backdrop. The two songs featuring Goundamani could have had better music. Rerecording is just adequate. Cinematographer D.Kannan has done a neat job with his lens.
Verdict: Goundamani his satire and some smart ideas in the script make this film a watchable fare.
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