NITHAM ORU VAANAM (2022)
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| Critic No. 303 |
Director: Ra. Karthik
Written by: Ra. Karthik
Produced by: Viacom18 Studios, Rise East Entertainment
Casts: Ashok Selvan, Ritu Varma, Aparna Balamurali, Sshivada, Shivathmika Rajasekar
Language: Tamil
Genre: Drama
SYNOPSIS:
Veera (Ashok Selvan) who has OCD happens to read two real stories and goes in search of the endings that lead him to ultimately alter his view about life.
REVIEW:
What starts off as a typical tried and tested track in Kollywood is about a hero wallowing in bitterness because the bride his parents found for him breaks off the marriage, choosing her boyfriend instead. However, debutant director Karthik throws in a sweet surprise by turning the story into a quirky, moving tale about second chances.
To admit, the film does start a little shakily with Veera’s character coming off as a little too loud with the OCD nature (which conveniently disappears after a while) coming off as artificial. However, as Veera starts to read the stories in the diary after the heartbreak in Act 1, the film gradually pulls us into the positive, encouraging mood that the film strongly tries to hammer on us.
Due to the nature of the story which deals with stories discovered by the protagonist, the film breaks into two stories that show two sets of couples who beat several odds to unite. As the two stories end on a cliffhanger, Veera goes in search of the answer. Karthik treats these episodes in a poetic, philosophical manner with arresting visuals by Vidhu Ayyanna and breathtaking locations.
To me, the Veera-Meenakshi story felt a little bland with an Alaipayuthey style of story that only survives with Ashok Selvan’s charisma and Gopi Sundar’s soulful music. Shivathmika looks surprisingly stiff in most of the scenes. It is only with the entry of Mathi in the second story that we see a spark of life. Aparna Balamurali is a firecracker in this portion and has crackling chemistry with Azhagam Perumal, who plays her father. Ashok Selvan looks the most comfortable here with excellent comic timing. Both stories have well-placed cliffhangers that excite the audiences with a tint of mystery attached to it.
‘Nitham Oru Vaanam’ recognizes that life throws us extreme grief, yet it asks us to fight for our joys from deep within our darkest moments. Karthik also subtly expresses that is our own right to defy the face of tragedy, even when people around us expect our worlds to come to a crashing halt.
Ashok Selvan has a lot of space to perform various types of characters in just one film. In this coming-of-age film, he excels in carrying each role at different stages with finesse and detail. No doubt, this film brings out the best performance in his career tapping on his wide range of performances.
Sshivada (the underrated actress) fills in her role perfectly and Ritu Varma does her small role well too. There’s also a surprise cameo from a star in the climax who is instantly endearing. The layered writing of the women characters and the performances of each of them truly makes you wish Kollywood would give us more such heroines. Karthik does succumb with convenient writing and offers predictable turns in his film but his message and treatment of the story make ‘Nitham Oru Vaanam’ a very likable film of this year, oozing with positivity.
VERDICT:
‘Nitham Oru Vaanam’ is a feel-good, moving drama that is both philosophical and entertaining which establishes Ashok Selvan as a versatile, fine performer.
CELLULOID METER- 3.5/5:
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