Naan Mahaan Alla - Tamil Movie Review

After weeks of flashy trailers, ads and news reports, Studio Greens' Naan Mahaan Alla (loosely translated it means 'I am no saint') is finally here. With Karthi donning the role of a commercial hero and Kajal Aggarwal adding a dash of romance, not to mention Yuvanshankar Raja's thumping music, Naan Mahaan Alla has raised expectations to almost breaking-point. And whether director Suseenthiran's (Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu fame) most anticipated venture satisfies those expectations, well that is for you to see and judge.

Suseenthiran has the knack for taking a single line plot and developing a plausible story-line out of it. This time, aided by dialogue-writer T. Baskar Shakthi, he's come up with an intriguing one-line stpry: How life changes for a simple middle class youth, when a personal tragedy strikes? The situation certainly has enormous possibilities, and we're taken through a racy and action packed yet entertaining ride, beginning in 'Namma' Chennai.

Who is in it?

Naan Mahaan Alla is about a happy go lucky youth, Jeeva (Karthi), who cares for nothing and speaks from his heart. His father is his best companion and Jeeva's life takes a drastic change when a personal tragedy hits him.

Then we have the smart and beautiful Priya (Kajal Aggarwal), unlike many heroines she is not a bubbly type. Priya is a simple girl-next-door, which any normal city girl can relate to. She is silent and reserved.

Then we have Jayaprakash, an ideal father and a taxi driver. He is calm, collected, and incredibly affectionate but with a sense of justice that is very appealing.

What is it about?

The film opens with a gang of young drug addicts who molest a young girl on a lonely beach. Cut to our hero! Jeeva (Karthi) a happy-go-lucky middle-class guy with whom everybody can easily relate to. His hilarious one liners and speak-from-your-heart policy is loved by everyone, especially by his faithful friends. In a friend's marriage Jeeva spots a beautiful girl Priya (Kajal Aggarwal), and obviously it's love at first sight for him. After few initial encounters love blossoms between the two. The way in which Jeeva makes
Priya fall in love with him is hilarious and outstanding.

Jeeva belongs to a middle class family; father, mother and sister, he has no job but his parents, especially his father, never fails to give him money. Four months later Jeeva decides to talk to Priya's parents about their marriage. But Priya's father puts forth a condition; Jeeva should go for a job and after six months if the couple is still in love, he will accept for the marriage.

Finally Jeeva decides to go for a job as a bill collecting agent in a bank. But instead of collecting the money, he ends up emptying his pocket, watching cricket with the kids and buying sweets for children. Reason: The sad-sob story of each of the kid's family. And he ends up losing the job!

Cut back to the gang who molested a young girl! Police finds the dead body of a young girl (cut into pieces) and the investigation begins. Somehow is all this Jeeva and his father get involved and from now on starts the cruel game of survival of the fittest.

The Performances

It's Karthi, Karthi and Karthi all through the film. Naan Mahaan Alla is a beautiful film; youthful, fresh and pragmatic. It's about ordinary people and their lives. Every actor has come up with a realistic performance in typical Suseenthiran style!

The first half is racy, peppy and enthusiastic: introduce on screen a happy-go-lucky guy and a romantic, pretty girl and suddenly everything -- starting from first meeting, the lovely songs and even the marriage proposal scene -- morphs from a mundane exercise to a
thrilling adventure. The on screen chemistry between the lead pair and the genuine love between father-son is a treat to watch.

Yuvanshankar Raja's melodious tunes sooth the heart as we watch Jeeva and Priya falling hopelessly in love. The songs are beautifully picturised. Rajeevan's art work, Kasi Viswanath's sleek editing and Madhie's brilliant camerawork needs a special mention.

Karthi excels in all the areas, romance, humour, emotion, love and even the larger-than life stunt sequences. Kajal Aggarwal is pretty and appealing, but her character has notmuch to do in the second half. Jayaprakash excels with his realistic acting skills.

The verdict

Karthi's screen presence, pretty Kajal and Yuvan's songs make Naan Mahaan Alla an exciting viewing experience, though there are some loose ends to the story and some questions remain unanswered.

But on the whole Naan Mahaan Alla... worth a watch!

Reviewed by Ambili.