Nenjirukkum Varai is a different outing altogether, for both the director S A Chandrasekharan and the hero Naren, of Chithiram Pesudhadi fame. The reason? Treading on a path less traveled by Tamil films in recent times.
Naren's character captivates the audience even in the beginning. What strikes us most about him is his integrity. He plays the role of Ganesan, a simpleton with a heart of gold. Ganesan is an auto driver who does his job with conviction and self-respect. Though well-read, he interrupts his studies for the sake of his loving family comprising of his mother (Kalairani), father (Thalaivasal Vijay) and brother. He loves his family and does whatever his modest earnings allow him to, for the sake of his parents and brother.
Bhuvana (Deepa), who keeps meeting him accidentally during different circumstances, takes an instant liking for him. Having been born with a silver spoon, she has all that one could ask and desire for in terms of material comforts but when it comes to care and concern, she craves for it. Her father (Mahadevan), a money-greedy businessman, gives negligible importance to her. Her mother passed away in bitterness, due to her husband's questionable morals and disregard for her.
Bhuvana proposes her love to Ganesan with all earnestness but Naren turns a deaf ear to it. He is especially full of misgivings as Bhuvana tells him that she is the only daughter of industrialist Rangasamy Naidu. But Bhuvana's conviction does not allow her to step back. She earns the goodwill of Ganesan's parents and goes ahead to stay in their house. Ganesan understands the depth of her love and immediately acknowledges it. The threats of Bhuvana's father do not deter him.
Happiness gets a new meaning after Bhuvana enters the simple household of Ganesan. Ganesan's parents dote on her, more than even their own son. But a sudden turn of events sends shock waves down the spines of the family. Bhuvana is fatally hit by a vehicle and an expensive heart transplantation is the only way to save her. For the family who lead a hand-to-mouth existence, a sum of 10 lakhs for the surgery is an unimaginable amount. The insensitive hospital authorities refuse to treat her unless the amount is paid in full. At this juncture Naren takes a serious step.
The first half of the film is much like a candy floss love story with Bhuvana's pranks sending smiles across the viewer's faces. The hero's friend Ganja Karuppu scores with his witty remarks whenever he appears on screen. But the second half of the film takes a different route altogether-grim, serious, somber and emotional. While the audience wonders how Ganesan would succeed in getting his beloved back to life, the hero does not think too much about it. His decision and the climax are unexpected twists.
Naren as Ganesan captivates with his performance. He comes across as a promising hero. There are certain areas in which he should work though. One is his accent with a Malayalam tinge, and his dance. Though the steps are mild in all the songs, Naren does not seem comfortable with dancing. If he works towards these areas, he will definitely join the big league for he already has emoting skills which he has used to perfection.
Deepa is refreshing and her characterization is heartrending. Kalairani, Thalaivasal Vijay, Nasser, Sreeman, Mahadevan, Sanjeev and Charlie have played their roles well. Sreekanth Deva deserves appreciation for the re-recording during the stunt sequence at the police station and later, during the emotional scenes with Naren and Deepa in the second half of the film. The songs are ok and the lyrics catch our attention in a couple of songs. Cinematography by Jeevan and editing by Harsha are satisfactory too. The dialogues have been penned well and those lines that Naren speaks to Deepa and her friends subs
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