The disclaimer first - I haven't seen the original Mahesintae Prathikaram and this would have definitely reflected in my response to Nimir.

There is this song as the opening credits roll in Nimir. I am pretty sure it would have not been in the original or if it was there I don't think it might have been shot the way it has been here with a woman prancing around in a costume that might look native but worn in a manner that makes the intention quite clear. But a few minutes into Nimir and the film was so low key that I definitely got the feel that Priyadarshan might have not tinkered much with the original. Malayalam cinema has often left me pondering on how they make these movies whose one liner might be non existent or so flimsy that you wonder how do they narrate it for over 2 hours. Nimir magnifies this amazement all the more.

As the title suggests, the film is about the hero deciding to stand up and fight for something. But the film as such reserves very little time for this conflict and what we have is a slice of life drama that is more about the characters and their interactions. The humour is consistently good and the small town vibe is apparent. Udhayanidhi is pretty good here. The scenes between him and his father (Mahendran) are minimal but we get a clear picture of their relationship. M.S. Bhaskar, Samuthirakanai, Karunakaran and most of the supporting cast have done a very good job. It is Parvati Nair (her performance isn't bad by Tamil cinema standards ) who looks a bit out of place.

The second love portion in the film looks a bit rushed and a little cinematic. So is the hero's transition to a better photographer. Such small things are what make look Nimir like an attempt to manufacture something realistic rather than merely being realistic. The songs are pleasant and the complete absence of BGM at most places is not something that we see often in our movies. It was surprising to see that the dialogues are by Samuthirakani. It is a far cry from the overtly sentimental tone that we are used to in his movies.

Bottomline:

Nimir works pretty well as a slice of life drama with humour being its strong point.

Rating: 3/5