Nee Thaane En Ponvasantham - நீதானே என் பொன்வசந்தம்

I was carrying a cart full of expectations when I entered theatre to watch Nee Thaan En Ponvasantham directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. The posters were lovely and fresh. I hoped the songs and background score would be promising enough; after all, an Ilaiyaraja musical.

The titles were indeed different, I concluded. It was fresh and claimed to be a few memories from the lives of Nithya and Varun enacted by Samantha and Jiiva respectively. The opening song was a bore. Thanks to choreography, else I would have drifted off to sleep. Anyways, the first few scenes were good enough too. It was young and vibrant, though certainly not fresh. Yet, the love was sparkling and the eyes of lead pair were gleaming in love. Love was in the air and as an audience, I felt totally wooed.

But, certainly not for too long! As the pair started fighting… As ego issues started creeping… As love started paving way to greater responsibilities, the story seemed never ending.

Oh yeah! This story is nothing new. A boy and girl grow up together. Friendship leads to infatuation and that leads to fanatic love. As always, as love grows, expectations grow and so does argument as well as problems. The story spreads over a span of 15-20 years and depicts various stages of love. If the love they feel as teenagers is innocent, the love they feel as grown up is driven more by you-or-me fights.

Scenes involving Santhanam is hilarious and he has delivered those effortlessly. The highlights are the scenes shown post intermission. They turn us nostalgic and evoke laughter too. That plumpy girl, Jenny, who comes across as Nithya’s friend is a show stealer. Her timing is matchless and the way she talks is very cute. Varun’s father is caring and I loved his characterization. I thanked God that his character is not a cliché. So are the characters of Varun’s brothers and mother. They all seem to be real and natural. Their though process is progressive and hence, impressive.

The story could have been a perfect love story. But, it fails incredulously. May be because of lengthy dialogs they utter. May be because the characters are made to span over a number of years? May be because it reminds us of director’s movies like Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, Kakka Kakka and Vaaranam Aayiram? May be because we expected too much? May be because of the boring songs and background scores that are totally out of place? May be because the director has taken critical scenes in long shot that we never associate with the characters; we feel detached from them too. Or is it because the story is too complicated, like our own life? I pondered and tried to answer many questions that arose in my mind. Unfortunately, I ended up wondering what would have gone wrong.

I didn’t feel their love the way I felt when I watched Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, Kakka Kakka and Vaaranam Aayiram. They looked very artificial. I didn’t understand why the girl was portrayed as a dumb. She comes across mindless and absorbed in love. Or is that how girls react to their loved one; even the intelligent lot? May be, isn’t it?

Anyways, what I felt is that the story could have been more charming and enthralling. The focus should have been in the element of romance rather than on the lame fights. The songs are such a huge disappointment that it renders the movie more boring.

If I tilt myself and try to think differently, this movie is indeed good. All love stories will be like this. There will be a sea of arguments and disagreements for an ounce of love. There will be more tears of grief than tears of joy. Love makes people possessive. Love leads to heightened expectations. Result? More fights and more heart aches.

So, I am in a state of vacillation. I am unable to conclude if I liked or not. So I suggest that you catch the flick yourself and decide. I say this because if you are an hopeless romantic like me, you may end up enjoying it!!!