Ethir Neechal Review

Alright, the longtime no see movie is here folks! The movie is Produced by Dhanush, who has pleased the audience with a small cameo in one of the songs. Directed by Vetrimaran's assistant R.S DuraiSenthilkumar, who is pinning all hopes on a movie which is full of elements any movie goer would ask for. After KBKR, Siva Karthikeyan's fan will have a treat on May 1, being a holiday this just adds the masala on the hype factor. Priyaanand ,Nandita, Jayaprakash and Sathish form the ensemble cast of this movie. Music is by Anirudh, which is already rocking the charts for a long time. Phew, so what is this Ethirneechal about, let's find out!

Who is this 'Kunjithapatham' :

Well, you heard it right! That's our hero's name in this movie! He detests the name so much that, he relates all his failures to this name. With an average job and a sidekick (Sathish), the story fizzles out with the usual stuff of hero chasing heroine concept. But considering his name to be a serious insult, he changes it to be 'Harish' a modern urban kind which he longed for. So life becomes smooth and almost immediately Harish falls in love with Geetha (Priyaanand). All is well until Geetha finds out the real name and the hiccups are there on the way.

So predictably the sorrow comes in form of drinks, an item song with Dhanush and Nayanthara and an advice by the leading lady. Promptly Harish gets his mind changed about winning in life. To prove the talent within, Harish digs his past and discovers the runner inside him, so tries his hand in the International marathon event with the help of Valli (Nandita), who is a former sprinter. Reminiscence of 'Chak de' , 'Rocky Balboa' , 'Badri' and so many other training scenes comes across immediately.  If the first half was comedy ridden, the second is fully sentimental. That being the plot the movie settles down with the question, if he will make it big? Will he avenge his name? Who is Valli? Watch and find out what happens next!

Waves of Ethirneechal:

Post KediBillaKilladiRanga, the million dollar question remained, if Siva can maintain his hero fame? Will he be able to cope up with Kollywood's critical acting? Ladies and gentleman, we have a brand new Siva here. Whistles and shouts for his screen presence apart; Siva is a delight to watch with his witty grasp of humor and some wonderful acting.

Silently making progress is Sathish who shares the comedy segment with Siva. Though it's almost a similar role that he played in Marina, his crispy comedy is hard to go unnoticed. He plays the perfect role of a guy who whines about his friend's puppy love, and then unwillingly helps him as well.

Elsewhere the two leading ladies fit neat into their roles. Priyaanand is cute looking and the onscreen chemistry between Siva and Priya seem to be clicking well! However disappears after the first half only to enter later on. Nandita grabs the meaty role of a trainer and is quite good at it.

Perhaps the biggest winner of all is the Music, Anirudh's music is a class of its own and the songs make you hum, sway and tap! But the sad part is that, the director has engulfed four songs in the first half and its almost one song is over and you sense urgency in the screenplay to fit the next one. The song 'Sathiyama nee enaku' is a whamming kuthu number with Dhanush's presence making it big for his fans, but much anticipated Nayanthara appears for less than a minute making role hushed.Velraj deserves a special mention for his excellent cinematography work for 'VelichaPoove'.

Now for the final say, the director has made a wonderful movie no doubts or big qualms. However the movie's storyline is wafer thin ice with the plot itself being very predictable. Post second half the movie's storyline is nothing short of what you see in the usual flashbacks with some devious plots, sentiments and normal stuff. There are some big craters which defy logic in this movie, such as the lead gets edgy when he is called 'Kunjithapatham', but that being the sole reason to prove himself is questionable. The first half and second half barely are two strands threaded mediocrely into one with some arguable intentions.

Ergo, this movie will be path breaking for Siva, a sure summer special for everyone.

Verdict: A romcom and a sports film , put together makes you smile and inspire.

Star : 3.5/5