Director: Radha Mohan
Cast: Arulnidhi, Vivekh, Tanya, MS Bhaskar
Feel-good factor with relatable characters is a hallmark of Radha Mohan films. Brindhavanam is no different!
Kannan (Arulnidhi) is a mute and deaf and works in a saloon in Ooty. He is an orphan and is adored by the people of his neighborhood. With a perpetual smile on his face, he also does his bit of help to others. He is a great fan of actor Vivekh and his only hobby is watching the actor’s comedy sequences on television.
One fine day, Kannan comes across a man on the road who apparently was struggling to start his car. When he tried to help him, to his surprise he finds it was none other than his matinee idol Vivekh who has come to Ooty on a personal trip. Vivekh develops a soft corner for Kannan and they become thick friends in a few days’ time.
Then there’s this Sandhya (Tanya) a bold and independent girl and a childhood friend of Kannan and Varkee (Senthil) who is his colleague at the saloon. The three along with Vivekh hang around in Ooty and have fun. Though Sandhya nurtures secret love towards Kannan, she is hesitant to open the topic to him. On being persuaded by Vivekh, Sandhya vents out her feelings towards him. Kannan gets furious and turns down her proposal and ignores Vivekh’s advice as well. Is there a reason to it? Yes, his pitiful past explains the rest.
First of all, young Arunlnidhi should be lauded for choosing different shades of roles instead of resorting to mass hero subjects. There’s innocence on his face and his pleasant demeanor is a treat to watch. He has put his best of efforts and it works for the most part except during emotional scenes. Tanya looks confident and scores in a solid role. But the film undoubtedly belongs to Vivekh who we get to see in a full-fledged superb role and his comic one-liners replete with social messages and satires really work.
MS Bhaskar, a regular in Radha Mohan’s films proves his versatility in an impactful role. Cell Murugan and Senthil play perfect foil to Vivekh.
Despite Radha Mohan taking his time to establish the characters, the movie moves at a breezy pace and is packed with genuine laughter. Effective dialogues by Pon Parthiban are big assets to the film. But it starts dragging towards the end and we almost lose interest in the proceedings. Wish Radha could have made it shorter and crisper.
On the technical side, Vivekanand’s cinematography is cool and captures the lush greenery of Ooty and Vishal Chandrashekar’s BGM is good. The songs are alright.
Overall, Brindhavanam is worth a family outing for this summer!
