NAAN THAN BALA MOVIE REVIEW

The funny man Vivek, who has been keeping us entertained with his unique humor, is back with a film, but this time in the lead role, sans any comedy. 'Naan Thaan Bala' has Vivek playing the role of a Brahmin temple priest. So, can Vivek strike it with his new avatar ?

Vivek is an actor of intelligence and with years of experience and tutelage under K.Balachandar, he proves that he has more than comedy to in his repertoire. His dialogue delivery in the Brahmin accent was good, along with the Sanskrit verses which he recites. His has projected an apt body language and the veteran comedian proves that he is a versatile actor. Venkatraj.J, makes his debut and plays a role of equal importance with Vivek's. He fits the bill but his performance was below average. Swetha plays the pair of Vivek and has limited screen presence, but makes use of her opportunity and delivered a neat performance. The rest of the cast such as Mayilsamy, 'Cell' Murugan, Dhruva, Sunder, Lavanya, Niresh, Sujatha, 'Kai' Thennavan, Ashok Pandiyan, Meenakshi Ammal, Jeirajeevan and etc did what was expected from them.

M.Selvaraj's costume designing sufficed the needs of the script. There's nothing elaborate with the costume designing and hence, the research work was minimal. Action choreography was handled by 'Super' Subbarayan and his work was very neat and the style fits the characterization of Venkatraj.J's. P.Vijayakumar's art direction was evident with the decorative works he did in the temple sequences, as well as with the engagement scene. Also, the props for the middle class Iyengar homes in Kumbakonam was spot on. Editing has been handled by V.Vijay and his work is mostly pedestrian in style. The stunt sequences have been well put, though. Cinematography is by M.V Azhageya Manavalan, and the visuals are not up to current standards and resembles the visual template of the early 90s films. 

Music is done by Venkat Krishi and he has stuck to his basics, by using religious and Carnatic oriented tunes. "Thiru Vai" is the opening introductory song for Vivek and projects him rightfully as the pious and soft-spoken priest. The indoor lighting for this song was noteworthy. "Uyire" is the love duet between Vivek and Swetha. There are plenty of montages with the locations being temple based areas, temple tanks, rivers of Kumbakonam and the temple streets. "Bhojanam" has the best visuals among the songs, and showcased the engagement episode of the lead pair. The inner temple shots, with the touch of yellow color tone, complemented the ambiance of the religious tone of the song. "Amma Romba" is a bit song involving a cute little kid and was shot in a middle-class home atmosphere. "Ariyama" is a situational song, which has montages of Venkatraj and Vivek facing a dilemma. "Kanmani Penmani" plays as a background score, during the final sequences. The background score too has religious tonality to it and fits the bill.

R.Kannan has done some little bit of research, in terms of Vedic scriptures and hymns but that't the only thing which can be lauded for, in this script. The story is very amateurish and has the epic Mahabharatham's Karnan-Duryodhana relationship as an inspiration. The screenplay is linear and the dialogues are not so preachy but the sequences are mega-serial type and is a big drawback. The presentation is very out-dated and adding more woes to the film is the unnecessary commercial elements, such as songs and redundant comedy sequences involving Mayilsamy and 'Cell' Murugan. The pace of the movie is slow as well, which compounds the negative aspects of the film further. 

'Naan Thaan Bala' - Classic theme with an old-fashioned treatment !


Ratings: 1.75/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL