Ennia Nokki Paayum Thotta movie review: A long shot, yet it hits the mark
Director: Gautham Menon
Cast: Dhanush, Megha Akash, Sasikumar
Even as the lead protagonist of Ennia Nokki Paayum Thotta, Dhanush says that ‘I have to wait for four years to meet her again.’ “Naangalum thaan”, comments the audiences indicating the long delay in its release. However, Gautham Menon breaks the norm of ‘audiences won’t care for a delayed film’. We see people thronging the theatres as early as 7 am for ENPT, which only proves his pulling power. Of course, the star power of Dhanush also adds to the expectations.
ENPT has every element associated with a GVM film - a young hero and stylish heroine, classy romance, glossy visuals, good songs, his voice-over style of narration, characters often speak in English, among others. But the problem with Ennai Nokki is that everything from romance to action to emotions is conveyed through the voice over of Dhanush, which becomes repetitive and you lose your interest after a point.
Raghu (Dhanush) is a computer science student and falls in love instantly with an upcoming actress Lekha (Mega Akash), who has come to his college for a shoot. She also somewhat takes a liking for him. Lekha is an orphan and is controlled by Kuberan (Senthil Veerasamy), who has sponsored her studies and acts as her guardian. One day she tells Raghu that she's not keen to act and that Kuberan is forcing her for his own benefits. Raghu takes her to his house in Pollachi and his affluent parents accept her. However, circumstances separate them, and they meet after 4 years. One day Lekha calls Raghu and informs that she has found his long-lost elder brother Thiru (Sasikumar) and asks him to come to Mumbai at once. This lands him in trouble as gangsters as well as cops chase him. But why?
Dhanush shines every bit and the entire film is driven by his extraordinary performance. Megha Akash looks pretty and does a good job. The romantic scenes, which include kissing scenes aplenty, are shot aesthetically and there was never a moment you feel he is going overboard. Kudos to the director for treating the female characters with a lot of dignity and giving them space to perform. Sasikumar in a brief cameo is adequate, but the sibling bonding is not established well. While first half is breezy, post interval it drags without a coherent screenplay.
The best part of ENPT is the music by Darbuka Siva, whose songs are already chartbusters. Even the BGM is top-notch. The film is a bit too long and some trimming would have helped. All said and done, ENPT is watchable once!
