Neethaane En Ponvasantham does not live up to the hype

by Bharath Vijayakumar

The much awaited NEP that brings together Gautham Menon and Maestro Illaiyaraja sadly does not live up to the hype. The movie is an important one for Gautham as his last outing in Hindi “Ek Deewana Tha” (remake of VTV) satisfied neither the critics nor the audience. Before that, his experimental “Nadunisi Naigal” failed to get noticed. NEP made the right noises before its release with Ilaiyaraja’s music being its USP. Also the film is an urban love story – a genre that Gautham is said to have mastered.

Plot

Gautham had already made it clear that NEP was not a plot driven movie. It is about the sweet little moments in the life of Varun and Nithya. They meet as kids and bond well. But they seem to hate each other as much as they love each other. Small little misunderstandings prop up at various points in their life. Will cupid succeed in bringing them together? Or will Varun meet the same fate as Karthik of VTV is what NEP is all about.

Cast

Jiiva and Samantha play their parts well as the ever fighting couple who are always torn between love and ego. Their physical appearance aids in convincingly bringing out the 3 phases of their life without much change in their physique.  While it is commendable that Samantha has dubbed for herself, it works against her performance particularly in the emotional sequences. That Santhanam almost has an intro song in the movie is testimony to his current position in the industry. And the comedian does not disappoint.  Gautham has been successful in subduing Santhanam’s theatrics but still managing to bring out the humour at the appropriate places.

Music and Technical aspects

This is the movie Ilaiyaraja fans were waiting ever since he signed this project. And the Maestro proves that his age is no bar in catering to the taste of the current generation. While all the songs are good it also seems that the album definitely lacks one solid track that will blow you away. Also there aren’t many opportunities in the film to showcase Raja sir’s prowess in the background score. Editing could have definitely been crisper. The movie definitely has scenes that could bore you.

Dampeners 

Gautham can once again be complimented for making a clean love story. But he has definitely slipped in many places. Comparisons with his VTV are bound to happen. The success of VTV was that you really cared for the lead pair. Their love for each other was quite evident and it was against fate that they were fighting. But that is not quite the case with NEP. There aren’t enough scenes for us to experience the love Varun and Nithya have for each other. We almost know that they are going to be at loggerheads with each other every time they meet. And the reasons for which they fight might be silly for many. Of course many such instances happen even in reality. But these situations might work well in a light hearted romantic flick like Kushi or SMS. But in NEP this is definitely a sore point. The dubbing voice chosen for Ravi Raghavendar who plays Jiiva’s father is another downer.

Bottom line 

Definitely NEP has some moments that the urban youth can relate to. But the movie fails to keep you engaged thoroughly. The tension and anxiety that you are supposed to feel towards the climax has given way to restlessness. NEP definitely falls short of Gautham’s earlier romantic ventures.

Verdict :