It is not easy for anyone to try something different from their routine. Director Vikraman, hitherto known for his sentiment packed family entertainers, has tried a commercial pot-boiler with Chennai Kadhal. And with youngsters by his side, he has managed a decent outing.
Though he has taken a beaten-to-bush theme, where the hero and heroine fall in love and thereby antagonize their parents, the director has infused pace in the narration, which works out well.
Chennai Kadhal is a city based love story that alternates between Chennai and Mumbai. It is totally a different fare for Vikraman and the hero Bharath, as the neatly choreographed stunt sequences take Bharath on a different plane altogether. A mish-mash of romance and action with a liberal sprinkling of humour sums up Chennai Kadhal.
The story begins with a bang. Indeed so, for even in the opening we get to see the hero bashed up by some thugs, stabbed, and thrown atop a moving train in Mumbai. And his flashback unfolds amidst curiosity. Gowtham (Bharath) is a happy-go-lucky-youngster in Chennai. Irresponsible and spirited, he does not take life seriously. He incurs the wrath of his father for his attitude.
Gowtham meets Narmada (Genelia) near her hostel accidentally. They get into a teeny-weeny argument. Later on, he comes across Narmada in an express train. Due to some untoward mishap, the train gets halted in a remote village for three days. Gowtham and Narmada get acquainted with each other. The sequences in the train remind one of certain scenes in the Hindi flick DDLJ. Nevertheless, the sequences arouse interest.
Goutham is mostly seen in the company of his friends who run `Cine Vehicle Suppliers,' a company which supplies vehicles for film shoots. As it happens, he also gets a chance to share the frame of a film in a Police costume. The turn of events leads Narmada (Genelia) believe that he is, in fact, an inspector. She expresses her love to him, which he accepts, and things go well until she comes to know that Gowtham is not a police officer. However, she is soon convinced by Gowtham.
Enters Sakthivel (Radharavi), father of Narmada, a dreaded thug in Chennai. Narmada, who had cut off all ties with him after knowing that he is a ruffian, had been studying and staying in a hostel while working part-time to manage her expenses. At such circumstances, Sakthivel decides to get Narmada married to a gangster's brother. Sensing trouble, Narmada and Gowtham elope to Mumbai. Sakthivel's men go on their trail. But an unexpected turn of events brings about trouble to the lovers again. The rest is about how Gowtham fights against all odds and successfully marries Narmada.
Radha Ravi's comeback to films is heartening. It goes without saying that he has done a commendable job. Bharath has done enough justice to his role, so has Genelia. Genelia's costumes deserve special mention here. She is indeed a treat to the eyes. Likewise, the foreign locales where the songs are picturised. They transport you to cool blue waters, captured beautifully by Muthu Ganesh's camera. Joshua Sridhar emerges a winner with songs belonging to different genres and re-recording, which is easy on the ears. Editing by Antony is crisp. Jaguar Thangam's stunts are also good.
Vikraman has introduced the winner of a popular regional television show in this film. He has played his part well, and his histrionics has helped to carry the story forward.
Laudable performances, a racy screenplay and the light-hearted comic sequences make Chennai Kadhal a definite winner.
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