180 Review

Can a man overcome the fear of death? Is he destiny's child? What happens when one comes to know that he is going to die soon? Ad-film maker Jayendra has tried to answer each of these in 'Nootrenbadhu'.

Starring Siddharth as the male protagonist, Jayendra sets out on a journey to unlock these mysterious questions. Coming to his help are writers Subha.

The film that has story, screenplay and dialogues by Subha and Jayendra's film is no doubt a visual treat. Unfortunately the storyline is very familiar and the director has tried his best to leave an impression with his narration.

He has ensured that 'Nootrenbadhu' is a stylish and suave film. What begins as a jolly fun ride ends up on a slow and somber emotional tale. The fear of death in a youth's mind has been brought out well.

Ajay (Siddharth) comes to Kasi, where his thoughts and ideas on life and death undergo a sea change after he meets a young boy. He relocates to Chennai and stays in a house owned by a couple S V S Murthy (Mouli) and Jayam (Geetha).

They treat him as their own son. A do-gooder, Ajay with his jovial nature wins the heart of all those whom he comes across. Vidya (Nithya Menen), a photo journalist meets Ajay and falls for his good nature.

Ajay with the help of Vidya even gets street children obtain sponsorship for their education. But things take a turn when Vidya expresses her love to Ajay. He quietly walks off the place and decides to leave Chennai.

But a rude accident to Vidya puts the responsibility on Ajay's shoulders to get her back to health. He takes her to USA for a surgery. Meanwhile a flashback reveals that Ajay was a successful doctor in the United States and who led a happy life.

He had come across Renu (Priya Anand) and its romance between them. He gets married to her and all things go well until Ajay is diagnosed of cancer and that he is just counting his days. Now the rest is all but whether Ajay meets Renu or not, did he accept Vidya's love or did he meet with his fate?

Siddharth walks away with honours. As a bubbly youth in the first half and in the latter part an insecure man facing death, he has performed exceedingly well. He excels in romantic scenes, reminding one of Madhavan in his heydays. Priya Anand has more screen space and she has come a long way from her earlier movies.

Nithya Menen plays her part well. Sri Charan as Siddharth's friend deserves a mention. But three cheers to Mouli, who combines humour and emotions quite well to deliver a packed performance. Also in the cast are Geetha, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, Thanikala Bharani and Janaki Sabesh.

The movie is entertaining and the locations and the background score are fresh and new. The lacuna has been the story, which is as old as the hill. The director has cleverly tried to hide it with a strong technical crew behind him.

Balasubramaniam's camera captures Kasi and USA well. Sharreth's music is a major boost. 'Nootrenbadhu', produced by Agal Movies and Sathyam Cinemas, is glossy and rich but low on content.