Thamizhukku En Ondrai Azhuthavum (Press 1 for Tamil) - Scientifically speaking….

After a lot of positive reports I happen to watch this movie. So this one is a very late review from my side. Hope some of the readers would have already watched this movie.

When was the last time that a Tamil movie dabbled with a screenplay that had some hardcore elements of science fiction woven into it? Endhiran, maybe. But wait, that was more of a superstar film than a science fiction. Also it was a big budget extravaganza which makes it a plausible fair. On the other hand if we are left to think of another science fiction that was made on a shoestring budget, then the ones that come to my mind are few and far between with the likes of ‘Appuchi Gramam’ and ‘Ambuli’ (both failed at the box office as well). Newbie director Ramprakash has come up with his debut feature which happens to pack some sci-fi elements laced with esoteric terms that leaves average viewer in a spin.

The movie employs a multi-threaded narrative which has 3 story tracks - one with a nerd who has a scientific bent of mind on each and everything he does (Nakul), the other with a happy-go lucky real estate broker (Dinesh), who tries to woo his lady love (Bindhu Madhavi) and the third one is a combination of a light hearted episode and a potentially dangerous episode of that of a carefree taxi driver (Sathish) and a terrorist with his sinister plan to blow the city. Everything ends on a high note with good triumphing over evil, thanks to science and its exploits.

From the dialogs it can be understood that the script has been fairly researched before weaving the imagination on paper. However the problem is that it has been worked out overtly in a fashion such that at a point it kind of feels like listening to the boastful propositions of a nerd on how he went about with his research. The weakest plot was that of Dinesh and Bindhu which was put up there to add some meat to the narrative. Though Oorvasi’s role as that of an affable mother looked cliched at first, it has been worked out to spew the science fiction element to the masses. A mother talking about spectrum analyzer and teasing a girl pursuing her engineering in ECE of her ignorance of that device was the ultimate slap on the face of the current crop of engineers who are being electrocuted by the so called ‘professional education system’ in our country.

The coolest role has been obviously bagged by Sathish as the carefree taxi driver. The whimsical lines have been thoroughly worked out and his equation with a thief who robs off his mobile phone is quite some effort on the narrative front. Nakul as the nerd has a calm and composed role that required some zing and the new girl, AishwArya as Nakul’s pair was equally impressive as that of a dumb student.

However if the movie could have curbed its enthusiasm for science fiction by striking the right balance between esoteric and practically used terms, then it would not have become a ‘make believe’ science fiction. Nevertheless the effort was impressive and the thought process, commendable. Curious of the director’s next venture.

Verdict: Above Average

Rating: 2.5 / 5