It's believed that making a film with children in the lead or central characters is one of the highly difficult tasks for a filmmaker. If this is true, director Guru Ramesh `s challenge is four times bigger. He has done a film with a look alike quadruple children which lead the film to create record even before its release. `Enna Satham Indha Neram' has been entered in the Limca Book of records. What will be the box office record of the film?
Four look alike speech and hearing impaired sisters ( Aditi, Aakriti, Akshiti, Aapti).are nurtured by their self dependant mother (Manu) who is heading for a divorce with her husband (`Jayam' Raja)
The kids go for an excursion to the National Zoological Park and they along with other kids are accompanied by their teacher (Malavika Wales) who is planning to elope with her boy friend in the evening. Kathir (Nithin Sathya), one of the security staff in the Zoo is about to commit suicide since his lover is going to get married with someone else.
Due to the laxity of another security staff (Iman Annachi) in the zoo, a python gets out of the place it has been locked in and keeps roaming across the zoo. When the visitors are alerted about the danger they rush to the entrance. Only then the teacher finds that the quadruples are missing and go back to the zoo along with Kathir in search of them.
Whether the kids' lives are saved from the dangerous animal? This has been told with some really tense moments in the movie that runs for a time less than two hours.
The film starts off well and the first twenty minutes are perfectly used to establish the central characters and their backgrounds. But the momentum comes down a little in the next few sequences that end up as failed attempts to make us laugh. The film regains its momentum right from the moment the kids who can neither speak nor hear get isolated in a 1000 acre forest with a draconian animal.
The second half is filled with tense moments and the panic of the characters on screen are effectively transformed to the audience. Nithin Sathya's antiques and dialogues while searching the kids fail to bring out humor but also act as dampener. Malavika's reactionary dialogues to the silliness and carefree attitude of Nithin Sathya act as the saving grace.
The director takes an effective dig at media persons with sole aim of increasing the TRP and also some pseudo animal welfare enthusiasts and that deserves special mention.
Another thing to be appreciated about the film is that, the disability part of the kids is not used to kindle sentiments or tearjerkers. Especially the parents are not shown lamenting about their kids' disability anywhere. Instead the kids are shown as intelligent and street smart and that makes their way to our hearts so easy.
Would a school for kids with disabilities send only one teacher for an excursion? Will the police force headed by a sincere Inspector and other government departments wait outside for many hours until an old couple guides them with an action plan? Yes it is true that there are so many restrictions to use animals in films. But can't we expect a little care from the graphics team or the makers to make us believe that what is being shown is a real python and not a one created with CG? (there are few exceptions to this of course. The scene where a particular character is caught between the jaws of the python has been shot very well)
Of course these questions do not disturb the watching experience. During the climax even the viewers get a sigh of relief and there lies the success of writing and execution.
Director `Jayam'Raja makes his first onscreen appearance with this film. His expressions are fine. The way he handles the irritating questions of the media and raising to the occasion in the climax are praiseworthy.However it has to be mentioned that there is a little scope for betterment in dialgoue delivery. Manu is perfect as a caring, self dependant and straight forward mother Malavika Wales's acting is flawless and we can expect her to land more offers for powerful supporting rolesin Tamil films. Nithin Sathya fits the bill. Iman Annachi does evoke laughter at times.
Rerecording by debutante Naga stirs up the momentum in tense sequences. Sanjay.B.Loknath's cinematography has aptly captured the darkness of a forest. V.T.Vijayan's editing makes the film crisp.
A neat and good-hearted film to watch with family, especially with the kids.
Rating- 2.7/5
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