BOTTOM LINE
Routine Tale, Decent Fare
RATING
2.5/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 11m
What Is the Film About?
Prabhu loves Nila, but there is a problem. It leads to their separation, and eventually, Nila decides to marry someone else.
What’s the problem Prabhu faces? Did he reconcile with Nila and get together again or did they both move on to new lives respectively? It’s the movie’s overall plot.
Performances
The casting in the movie is good. The youngsters part of the proceedings does well.
Pavish Narayan plays the main lead. He is good at playing the role of an honest and earnest lover. His looks take care of most of the work as it suits the part well. He is also adequate in the emotional moments.
Anikha Surendran has the charm and generates the right chemistry with the lead to make one care for the story to begin with. It helps that she is also a good actor which makes many moments register.
Priya Prakash Varrier is seen in an extended cameo kind of role. She delivers what’s necessary, and that’s about it.
Analysis
Dhanush Writes and Directs Jaabilamma Neeku Antha Kopama (Neek in Tamil). It is his Third Directorial Venture
The first thing that immediately registers, even before the world or the characters, is the fresh packaging of the material. The music and the visuals do the deeds without wasting time. Soon, we get into the love story, which the hero warns is an ordinary one and not to have over expectations.
The mood is perfectly set and so are the expectations as the love story begins. It is as the lead mentions, a normal one. But, what works is the small moments between the ensemble cast.
Be it the friends, the sidekick lovers, or the main one, everyone gets a line or two or a scene or two that’s either engaging or funny. Together, they create a narrative stretch that, despite the routineness, manages to hold attention. Nothing is out of the ordinary, but it works.
The problem then here is mild repetitiveness. After a point, it looks like things might be overdone and then we have a conflict involving the heroine’s father. It is too plain and feels straight out of the eighties. The good thing is that the director is aware of it and jokes about it and also makes the characters self-aware, which brings small fun even in this highly contrived scenario.
The stretch towards the interval is okay. Again, another twist from the past is employed and packed freshly.
The second half turns key to the whole thing naturally. As it’s where the real drama and fun lies.
Once again, the director uses all cliches in the book belonging to the genre that specifically deals with characters like these or the young romance.
The bromance and romance both worked out well. Added to them are a few more angles, which also lead to fun under different circumstances.
The biggest success of Dhanush as a director, especially in the second half is that there are very few moment of dullness. Most of the second half happens in a single location yet that feeling largely doesn’t set in. But, more importantly, the emotional build-up towards the end is properly done.
Checking all the boxes, the tale reaches the end, where the slight feeling of tiredness and repetitiveness definitely sets in. The natural comic relief and BGM help the cause even during this final lap and keep one away from being totally restless, much like the hero.
The ending is a small tweak to the existing movies that follow a similar trajectory and is okay.
Overall, Jaabilamma Neeku Antha Kopama (NEEK in Tamil – Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam) has a routine love story that is packed freshly. Despite little intermittent drags, it still works out reasonably when it ends. Give it a try, if you like love stories with young couples and natural fun.
Performances by Others Actors
The supporting cast, which also mostly comprises youngsters, suits their roles well. Matthew Thomas easily steals the show among them. He plays the hero’s sidekick friend and gets to be part of many funny situations and deliver many one-liners.
Venkatesh Menon, Rabiya Khatoon and Ramya Ranganathan follow next. They all chip in with adequate performances. The characters each one gets are different, and hence, it makes them register easily.
Sharath Kumar, Saranya Ponvannan, and Naren are the seniors, and they do their brief roles with ease. Priyanka Mohan appears in a song and is fun to watch.
Music and Other Departments?
The music and background score are excellent. GV Prakash and Karthickkrishna share the credits here and they do a superb job. The cinematography is lovely. The BGM and visuals lend a musical-like quality to the movie. The editing is smooth. It gives the characters just enough room to breathe, but not too much to drag endlessly as nothing extraordinary really happens. The writing is simple and works.
Highlights?
BGM
Making
Direction
Natural Fun
Drawbacks?
Predictable
Drags At Times
Slow pace
Too many cliches
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, to those who like the genre.
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Neek Movie Review | Jaabilamma neeku antha kopama Review by M9
