Film review: Paarvai Ondrae Podhumae

ANOTHER LOVE triangle with a psychological angle - and Karan makes good use of the opportunity. Hate, love, friendship, anger - his eyes and body (!) language say it all. Tinges of melodrama and blatant over reactions there are, but they become understandable when you get to know that it is a character that needs psychiatric help. Amudha Movie Makers' ``Paarvai Ondrae Podhumae'' is predictable for the most part, but the effort to try something different is also very clear. All the same, the sequences lack depth.

Muralikrishna has taken on the responsibility for the story, screenplay, dialogue and direction. It is a story of two very thick friends, one rich and the other poor. The two, Vinod (Kunal) and Manoj (Karan) fall in love with the same girl Neeta (Monal). Reason enough for the two friends to fall apart. Vinod is in no mood to reciprocate Neeta's feelings for him when he realises that his friend Manoj too is in love with her. Till here the story is on very predictable lines - it is later that there are attempts to steer away from the love triangle, seen innumerable times on screen.

Manoj bottles up his jealousy, disappointment and frustration against his friend, and at no point is there physical or even verbal confrontation between the two heroes. Karan's enactment of these scenes in particular, is commendable. All the same, should not the actor with such potential realise that his increasing girth and rotundity could prove to be nullifying factors in his career?

After a lukewarm show in ``Kadhalar Dhinam'', it is a worthwhile break for Kunal. He has done a fairly good job as a soft and dignified foil for the rugged and extroverted Manoj.

Comedy, with Charlie and Vaiyapuri, is an enjoyable aspect of ``Paarvai Ondrae Podhumae''. It is healthy fun for the most part, with dialogue making the track all the more effective.

Vishwa comes only in a couple of scenes as a friend of Karan but leaves an imprint with a performance that makes one sit up and take notice.

Monal, as Neeta, has miles to go as far as expressions are concerned. Her mature face and physique lack the youthfulness that one would normally expect of a heroine.

Emotions ought to be subtly portrayed at times. When they are not, they fail to appeal, as it happens when Ramji comes out weeping from his friend's room after he is insulted, and also when Kunal sobs, on getting to know that his friend is also in love with Neeta.

Music is by Bharani. ``Asaindhadum Katrukku'' is Unnikrishnan at his nasal worst. Otherwise the song per se is reasonably melodious

The story is the same - the two boys-one girl line - we have seen from the days of the Sivaji Ganesan-S.S. Rajendran-Saroja Devi starrer ``Aalayamani''. Writing the name of the girl one loves and the boy one hates all over the wall is another typical cinematic trait.

Yet the treatment is appreciable to an extent.

MALATHI RANGARAJAN

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