Engeyum Eppodhum Review

Bouquet to debutant filmmaker Saravanan for etching out a film that speaks about feelings of people and the value of every single life. With handful of characters, the director has come out with a flick that is filled with fun, joy, tears and other human emotions.

What begins as a journey in a bus takes twists and turns, and when we think all is well that ends well, a shocking incident happens. But hold on! There is no preachy stuff as Saravanan manages to lace the message with lighter moments in the film.

For many of us road mishaps mean just numbers - the number of people perished in such accidents. Rarely we get to see the colourful life the victims enjoyed without knowing that death is coming close to them.

'Engeyum Eppodhum' attempts to take a closer look at such people. In a nutshell, it is the story of two couples who end up romancing in contrasting manner. They happen to meet at one point where a tragedy strikes in their lives.

Coming to the story, two buses coming on opposite direction crash at each other on the National Highway in Villupuram. Tragic scenes follow. Meanwhile, a flashback unfolds and the life of a  lover couple is narrated.

Amudha (Ananya), an engineering passout comes to Chennai from a village in Tiruchy for an interview. Situation leads her to take the help of a stranger Goutham (Sarva) to locate the company. Initially she is reluctant, but slowly gets acquanited and starts admiring him.

Meanwhile, there is another romance in the form of Kadhiresan (Jai) and  Manimegalai (Anjali). A soft-spoken good-hearted Kadhiresan falls for a young nurse Manimegalai, who is out-spoken and lives life her own way.

After completing the interview, Amudha returns to Tiruchy but her thoughts revolve around Goutham. Goutham too wants to see her and express his love.  Amudha comes to Chennai in search of her lover. At the same time, Goutham decides to go to Tiruchy to hold the hands of Amudha.

Meanwhile, Kadhiresan and Manimekalai get along well and after a series of interesting events in their romance, they decide to go to a village near Tiruchy to meet Kadhiresan's parents. Gautam, Kadhiresan and Manimekalai boards a bus to Tiruchy, while Amudha takes a bus from Tiruchy to Chennai. Near Villupuram, the buses collide. What happens then forms the climax.

Sarva as a suave city youth fits the bill well. His cool and casual expressions are adequate for the role. Ananya as an innocent bubbly rustic girl who comes to city is impressive. Anjali as a out-spoken and straightforward girl in love with Jai is tailor-made for the character.

Watch out for Jai. He as an innocent youth is the scene-stealer. He does his best in the role. The actor manages to leave an impression with his performance.

All the characters are well-written and neatly conceived by the director. They resemble close to real-life. The narration keeps one engaged all through. The contrasting love, loss, gain and sorrow are beautifully portrayed.

R Velraj's cinematography and catchy background score of debutant Sathya add solidity to the proceedings. All said, 'Engeyum Eppodhum' is a whiff of fresh air in Tamil cinema. Saravanan has certainly made his mentor A R Murugadoss, who has produced this film along with Fox Star Studios,  proud.