Nitham Oru Vaanam Review

Ashwin Ram

Nitham Oru Vaanam is a light hearted tale starring Ashok Selvan, Ritu Varma, Aparna Balamurali, etc. The movie is directed by debutant Ra.Karthik. And, the music is scored by Gopi Sundar.

Premise:

Ashok Selvan is unable to come out of depression after his marriage was called by the bride. He lands in reading two invested short stories written by his therapist. How the stories happen to change the hero’s life positively forms the crux.

Writing/ Direction:

The theme of the film is relatable, characters of a story or others’ life decisions motivating and changing ours. The way of storytelling is the key for the audience to connect and evolve along, in that case, this one is a misfire unlike ‘Oh My Kadavule’. The initial portions are good, the establishment portions of the male lead is neatly done. But after a point, the flow jumps to be a relentless short story, and there starts the trouble as a complete disconnect forms from there. When it jumps to the second story, it feels like the film has no story. It’s too late by the time the film comes back on track as it is towards the end. The message is good but the path is risky by nature and tedious too. Even in the shorts, there are some delightful parts, but I cannot get over the fact that none of it is happening for the central characters of the film. Probably, if Ashok Selvan did not play as the male lead in the shorts, the subject would have been believable. There was a curiosity for the story listeners such as Ashok Selvan and Ritu Varma to know what happened to the characters in the shorts after a point, that anticipation should have translated to the audience, but sadly it did not even happen slightly. Somehow the filmmaker manages to give a soothing feel at the end, by getting the finale right. So it doesn’t send us out with a thought of watching a bad picture.

Performances:

Neat performance and good variations from Ashok Selvan on-screen, he has played different roles and has managed to pull them off without much complaints. Except for the fact that he looks fake when he is loud, like when he is required to shout at someone on screen. Aparna Balamurali and Azhagam Perumal are the show stealers, though the purpose of their presence was not-so-important. They made sure their portions were lively to watch. The new girl Shivathmika Rajashekar did well, suited her role perfectly. Ritu Varma had nothing much to do, and her performance missed that charm. Some nice cameo appearances, Shivada and especially Jiiva.

Technicalities:

Quite a disappointing album from Gopi Sundar, none of the songs are soulful enough, and nowhere near his previous works. On the other hand, Dharan Kumar has done the background music and he has nailed it. The score was undoubtedly the film’s driving factor. DOP Vidhu Ayyanna has understood the sequences cover plenty of locations and worked accordingly, very well shot and the visuals enrich the technical experience. Costumes are great, certain designs adapt to the situation perfectly. Cuts are sensible, but overall the editing isn't satisfying only due to the length issue as it might have been a much better product if it was just two hours. The one fight scene, though it wasn’t necessary in the flow, the effort to offer something interesting was evident.

Verdict

Admirable presentation in terms of technicality and the performances of the artists are also impressive, the core content had the potential to deliver a feel-good flick, but the opportunity was turned down due to a storytelling that could not connect much with the viewers.

Nitham Oru Vaanam - All Over The Place!

Rating - 2.75/ 5.