Thamizhukku En Ondrai Azhuthavum - Interesting premise but patchy execution!

Thamizhukku En Ondrai Azhuthavum

Cast : Nakul, Dinesh,Sathish, Urvasi,Bindhu Madhavi, Aishwarya Dutta.

Music : S.S.Thaman 

Direction : Ramprakash Rayappa.

Coming from Debutante Ramprakash Rayappa, Thamizhukku en Ondrai Azhuthavum falls in the hyperlink cinema category (Vaanam, Chennaiyil Oru naal.etc). The lead actors Nakul and Dinesh are desperate to earn a hit, after the previous releases(Vallinam and Thirudan police respectively) bit the dust despite critics favoring them.So what's TEOA about? Let's see.

Plot:  The movie is based on the geo-magentic storm , and its after effects on mobile users in Chennai, linking 4 different characters - Mugil, a real estate promoter(Dinesh), Vasanth ( A tech wizard from Otteri),a cab driver (Sathish) and a terrorist plotting a bomb blast(Asif) in Chennai.How Vasanth plays a pivotal role in overcoming the effects of the geo-magentic storm, in the process helping Mugil getting his girl,besides saving lots of lives is what TEOA is all about.

Performances:

Nakul after a pretty decent performance in Vallinam, once again comes up with a neat performance as the unrecognized brainy techie Vasanth, who can provide a quick solution for things(He has improved much on his voice and body language, which helps him create the impact).

Dinesh still is in his Attakathi hangover, however gets through as the character does not demand a great performance from him. It's high time he makes a note of his dialogue delivery and performances,which is getting monotonous.After that awesome act in Cuckoo, Dinesh is now facing the danger of getting typecast in Attakathi type roles.

Sathish,after his not so funny acts in recent movies he featured (Kathhi, Aambala),tries to tickle the funny bone here too, and partly succeeds with his oneliners and counters. The best character artist in the movie is Urvasi, as the mother of Nakul, she impresses with her comic acts and dialogues with the right mix of tech and satire (ECE easy aa padichudureenga....practical thaan onnum theriya maatenguthu).The heroines do not have anything to do in TEOA, as they are reduced to mere set properties. Bindhu Madhavi looks like a doll, and that's it.

Technical departments:

Thaman's BGM doesn't quite create the impact needed for this social thriller genre taking place in a day.There are 2 songs in TEOA,and they do not deserve any mention.Deepak Kumar padhy's cinematography is apt. Editing by Sabu is taut, and at a crisp 2 hrs and 21 minutes, TEOA doesn't test the patience of the viewers.

Direction:

Debutante director Ramprakash Rayappa has come up with an interesting premise, with lot of technical concepts involved, and he fairly succeeds with his story telling abilities. The way he uses Nakul's character to interlink every other character and impact their lives,and making the intended funny character of Sathish as the fulcrum (besides, the mobile thief role helps the screenplay perfectly) deserves a pat.

The characterisations are quirky and interesting, but Ramprakash, could have come up with some more interesting sequences rather than just making Vasanth speak technical things throughout the movie (the second half has him speaking terms like BSC, TRX and all that for most part, which may not sustain every viewer's interest), as it may not cater to all sections of the audience.The romance between Dinesh and Bindhu Madhavi could have  been more lively, and the whole track looks forced just to make sure there's this subplot too in the movie.Otherwise, Ramprakash could have done away with just 2 roles, with Dinesh taking up Sathish's role. Nevertheless, TEOA is a decent,engaging entertainer, that won't let you down.

What works:

The concept and the characters.

What doesn't:

Lack of interesting sequences,a flat climax.

VERDICT: Interesting backdrop and characters make this one worth a watch.

6.5/10