NADUVULA KONJAM PAKKATHA KAANOM FILM REVIEW

NADUVULA KONJAM PAKKATHA KAANOM (2012)

Director: Balaji Tharaneetharan
Casts: Vijay Sethupathi, Gayathri, Baghavathy Perumal, Rajkumar, Vigneshwaran
Music: Siddarth Vippin, Ved Shankar
Language: Tamil
Genre: Comedy

2012 have been filled with many successful comedies in where most of it coming from debutants. Experimental films have received a good response among the audience this year which lead to the discovery of many young directors and actors. With such a peculiar title, unique aggressive marketing techniques, Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (NKPK) easily became a highly anticipated product despite the absence of star value or top notch technicians. However the recent release of the sleeper hit, Pizza, has made the audience to look out for Vijay Sethupathi. Touted to be based on a true incident of the director and D.O.P of this film, will this fresh comedy be able to join the league of sleeper hits this year?

Synopsis

The film is based on a real life incident where a young man Prem (Vijay), who is set to get married the next day, goes out to play cricket with his friends Baks (Bagavathy Perumal), Balaji (Rajkumar) and Saras (Vigneshwaran) to loosen up his work pressure. What starts out to be a casual friendly game, become intense and Prem faces a great fall, attempting to catch the ball. These results him in a short term memory loss to an extent that he fail to remember even his fiancé, Dhana (Gayathri). Will Prem be able to regain his consciousness in time for the marriage? Watch Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom to witness the hilarious attempt towards their goal.

Story – Screenplay

Kudos to director Balaji, for choosing the right premise for a first film, which hooks the audience from start to finish. The main strength of the screenplay is the realistic characters which are very ordinary but yet likable. The dialogues are very relatable and feel like we seeing ourselves at many instances. It is surprising to see how the director have a made a misery into a comedy. Each scene has an aim and purpose which increases the curiosity as the film progresses. Till the end this curiosity which is evoked at the first scene does not dampen.

However, the first half feels draggy as the film gets injected with some set ups in the screenplay. However the director intelligently pays back in the second half with a bang which forgives the mundane pace at the start.  The film also does not have any unnecessary comedy tracks or songs to spice things up but purely relies on the situational comedy.

In overall, a realistic yet an experimental screenplay by Balaji which works big time.

Casting & Performance

After a remarkable portrayal in Pizza, Vijay Sethupathi comes back with a bang again in NKPK. Be it the puzzled repetitive persona or the dialogue deliveries, he does it subtly but effectively. It is very difficult for any actor to repeat the same line again and again but evoking laughter among the audience for each verse. He has carried the film with his excellent comic timing and confidence. Gayathri plays a limited role as Dhana, who enters only towards the middle of second half, but scores with her underplayed emotions.

Next in the list are the bunch of newcomers who have given an excellent portrayal as the three friends. Bagavathy as Bags, interestingly is one of the real life characters who plays as himself in the film. His subtle yet exaggerating philosophies and the way he delivers his lines will make anyone laugh hard. Rajkumar who plays as Balaji, also scores in the way he reacts to thing. Last but definitely not the least is Vikneshwaran who plays as Saras. He plays a crucial role in attempting to make his best friend remember the past and the way he evokes his agony faintly, is remarkable. Especially in the scene where Prem gets a shock looking at Gayathri’s face, Vijay and Vignesh’s combo will kill the audiences with laughter.

Definitely these bunch of youngsters carry the film forward from scene to scene and is the most important reason for the audiences’ tears of laughter at the end of the film.

Technicality

Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kannom not only has a strong content but also gets complimented by fresh team of technicians. D.O.P Prem Kumar’s (the real life character Vijay is playing) stagnant shots and close ups adds the right effect for this situational comedy, highlighting the mood throughout.

Editor, Govindaraj’s fast cuts of stagnant shots bring out the desired comic timing. However the film could have been trimmed more at the first half which could have avoided the stagnant nature of it.

Ved Shankar’s soundtrack is fun and chirpy, which gives the right colour to the film. Even though the film does not contain most of the songs, the promo track, ‘Omelette Pota’ is an instant addictive track. Siddarth’s funny sound design is another plus to the hilarious incidents and dialogues.

In overall, confident delivery from the young technicians.

 Bottomline

In conclusion, Balaji’s Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kanom is a sure shot winner in delivering a 2 and half hours of non-stop comedy with a focused and edgy screenplay.

Verdict: This missing page does not miss to make us smile

 Rating: 3.5/5