OKOK Review  - Santhanam is the Hero, Villan and the Comedian

by Hari Hara Sudhan

Oru Kal Oru Kannadi is the third installment of Director M.Rajesh-Santhanam duo after their successful outings, SMS & Boss Engira Baskharan(BeB). It is yet again a comedy entertainer with no substance. Right from the initial promotions, Udhayanidhi had clearly set the expectations that Santhanam's role will have equal importance in the movie. The immense popularity of “Venam machan“ and tall expectations from Rajesh-Santhanam combo have ensured tremendous opening. With no other big release planned for the next few weeks, Producer Udhayanidhi has found a winner in this.

Cast & Characters

Udhay as 'Saravanan' and Santhanam as 'Partha' play the role of ticket collector and food dispenser at Sathyam cinemas. Hansika plays the role of an air hostess as 'Meera' at Kingfisher Airlines. Saranya Ponvannan aptly fits into the role of hero’s mother. Azhagam Perumal plays the father of Udhay. It is odd that he never spoke a word in more than twenty years with his wife, Saranya, just because her family cheated him during their marriage claiming that she holds a bachelor's degree. Arya, Sneha and Andrea have done guest appearances along expected lines.

Story 

Story is very simple, following the same template borrowed from other movies of Rajesh. It is all about how Udhay woos Hansika and the problems that he faces during the course. Udhay falls in love at first sight at a traffic signal. Eventually, he follows her, leading to a warning from Hansika and from her father Sayaji Shinde, who works as  Deputy Commissioner of Police. As always, it is Santhanam's witty one liners which make the film a happy ride. When Udhay settles his problems, Santhanam comes in and spoils the relationship. He does this spoiler act thrice knowingly and unknowingly at different times. Finally, what happens to Udhay is the climax. 

What works!

The biggest reason for the movie to work is Santhanam. It is an out-and-out Santhanam show. He make us laugh out loud (LOL) all through the movie. Udhay has done well in his debut. He has a keen awareness of what he is capable in his debut movie. He has played according to his strengths and weaknesses. The way in which he converses in English with Santhanam is hilarious. Timing sense of Santhanam is impeccable, this time it's not just the dialogues, he impresses us with some comic body languages too. Santhanam is really at his peak of his career. Surprisingly, Hansika has got perfect lip sync and at her bubbly best. Cinematography by Balasubramaniem is rich, especially in the song sequences.

Negatives

When you consider negatives, there are myriads of logical loopholes. To name a few, one between Udhay’s dad who have not spoken to his wife for twenty years decides to speak on a day, when she went out for few hours without informing anyone, it doesn’t gel at all with the characterisation. Sluggish dance movements by Udhay and Hanshika test our limits of tolerance. Harris’s tracks are not so fresh and the tunes sound repetitive.

Final word

Santhanam is the hero, villain and the comedian. It is his comic relief, which makes us forget the logical loopholes and shallow storyline in the film. Director Rajesh has once again made it clear not to expect any serious story or message oriented stories from him. One cannot help, but appreciate Rajesh's guts for remaking the same wafer-thin storyline from BeB and SMS. It is a movie made for pure entertainment and it DOES entertain you all the way. On that basis alone, it is definitely a good movie.

Rating: 3/5