Nanbenda Movie Review - Puts Anjaan and Azhaguraja to Shame

Nanbenda Review

Cast : Udhayanidhi Stalin, Nayantara, Santhanam.
Music : Harris Jayaraj
Direction : Jagadeesh.

Expectations:

Nanbenda comes from the superhit combo (as they think) of Udhayanidhi Stalin and Santhanam, and there were expectations of witnessing a laugh riot on the lines of Oru Kal Oru Kannadi. However, debutante director Jagadeesh probably had other plans in mind. Coming from the school of Director M.Rajesh (known for
his no-brainers relying totally on Santhanam's comic antics like SMS, Boss Engira Baskaran, OK OK), Jagadeesh pays tribute to his master , not just by naming the movie after a famous line from Boss Engira Baskaran, but also decides to put his master's recent and worst ever attempt Azhaguraja to shame,by making this epic movie. Let's see who this Nanbenda is.

Plot:

Even after that introduction, if you are still looking for a plot, then here it is. Wayward hero Sathya falls for the
gorgeous, angelic bank employee Ramya, and takes his good for nothing bestie Siva kozhundhu's help to succeed in his romantic mission. Just When all things proceed positively, Sathya gets to know that Ramya is not the beautiful self she is outside, but has a dark secret.The lovers break up eventually,and fate forces Sathya and Siva Kozhundhu get entangled in a murder mystery. Whether the best friends come out of the crime web and unite with their respective pairs is what the tiresome Nanbenda is all about.

Performances:

Udhayanidhi stalin has come a long way in terms of dance,and that's it. He's still the same old guy we saw in OK OK, in terms of performance. Be it romance, anger, action or comedy, Udhay must be applauded for exhibiting the same expression throughout, and that certainly makes him worthy for an Oscar. The highpoints are the priceless expressions when he romances, looking into the eyes of the beautiful Nayan, and the "casual dialogue
tone" and so-called "humorous body language" he presents in comic situations. The role Udhay plays here is no
different from the roles he has played in his previous two acting ventures, but Udhay proves he's the perfect example for a bad actor who survives only because he funds his movies.

Nayantara looks beautiful, and that's it. She romances Udhay, appears in the songs in all kind of costumes, and just sleepwalks through the poorly written role. Since her return to filmdom after a brief sabbatical post the Prabhu deva episode, She started off well with successful ventures like Raja Rani and Aarambam, but if she continues featuring in movies of this kind (she starred in Udhay's previous dud Idhu kathirvelan as well), she might run out of offers, risking ending her career soon.

Santhanam yet again fails to deliver, and all his one liners and counters fall flat. None of his comedies evoke laughter, and he lets down the director big time.Post the azhaguraja debacle, none of his comedy tracks have clicked (except for a few like Endrendrum punnagai). Besides,his looks and mannerisms (particularly in Udhay's movies) has become monotonous and irritating.

The rest of the artistes like Pooja, Sayaji Shinde and Manobala are just wasted.

Technical departments:

Harris Jayaraj has delivered an unimpressive album post the successful Yennai arindhaal and Anegan numbers, and among all the songs, "Oorellam unnai kandu" works a bit, only because it looks like a rehashed mix of "En veettu thottathil" from Gentleman and "Sundari neeyum" from MMKR. Cinematography by Balasubramiem captures the songs well.Otherwise , there's nothing much in Nanbenda to exhibit technical excellence.

Jagadeesh could have definitely taken inspiration from his mentor Rajesh, but not to this extent. He has totally lifted the Hero-comedian pair characterization from Rajesh's movies like SMS, BEB and OK OK, presents intolerably silly sequences, throws an unexpectedly crass flashback sequence towards the interval, and tests the patience of the viewer with sequences that neither sustain interest nor evoke laughter. Did the maker think
Nayantara's flashback was funny ?? If it was meant to be funny, sorry Jagadeesh, the result actually was the audience exiting the theaters,immediately after that.The songs are unwarranted, and the whole murder-jail episodes of Santhanam and Udhay totally lack humour/freshness, and trouble the audience even more. When the proceedings end, you just get a relieved smile, only because the torture has ended.

Nanbenda is for sure a classic, that overpowers movies like Azhaguraja and Anjaan, which were subject to heavy criticism for the awkward making and the uninteresting content, and ends up making you wonder what made you invest 120 on this.

You can be excused for wishing someone would get some sense into making Udhayanidhi Stalin think about quitting acting after the highly negative reviews for his Nanbenda, but reality has it that, he has just felt "My choice, my money", and has started shooting for his next movies already, including "Gethu" with Amy Jackson, and one more "Idhayam murali" with Hansika. It's high time Udhay stops his mission of pairing up with all top heroines of South cinema (he has already paired with Hansika, Nayantara,and Kajal was supposed to star opposite him in Nanbenda,but it was Nayan who came in again) and quits acting, for, he's a bad actor(Much worse than the
likes of Karunakaran and Bobby's characeters in Jigarthanda).

He does have one positive aspect in him: he's one who can definitely fund good ventures. He has released many successful medium budget-commercially successful movies like VTV, Ko, Madarasapattinam, TEOA, Saivam in the past and has also produced the critically acclaimed Neer paravai. How about restricting yourself to producing quality movies with the resources you have, rather than making the audience suffer with your movies and parthetic
acting - any thoughts Udhay ??

What works :  Nothing actually.
What doesn't : Everything from the starting till the end.

VERDICT : A Classic that puts Azhaguraja and Anjaan to shame. Pathetic, painful experiene for the viewer.
2/10