The title of S A Chandrasekhar's new film, Nenjilirikkum Varai, clearly signals a love story -- but not one of those blithe tales that have saturated the screen in recent times. The script, by Shobha Chandrasekhar (actor Vijay's mother), is somber, emotional.

The first half of the movie is floss; it deals with how the lead characters, Ganesan (Narain) and Bhuvana (Deepa), fall in love. The set up is typical: a few coincidental meetings prompt Bhuvana, daughter of an industrialist, to develop a bad case of amor for auto-driver Ganesan.

Ganesan initially refuses to reciprocate the feelings owing, you guessed it, to the economic disparity between them, but the very determined Bhuvana lands up at his place, sacrificing her extremely comfortable lifestyle, and proclaims her love for him.

Deeply touched, Ganesan acknowledges her love and accepts her as part of the family. With this begins a fresh phase in the life of Bhuvana, who experiences unimaginable affection in her new family -- something she had been craving for all her gilded, wealth-laced life.

The story then takes unexpected twists and turns that are good enough to hold your attention.

After a very impressive debut in Chitram Pesudadi, Narain had huge expectations to live up to, but they have clearly not weighed heavy on him. He holds his audience from the very beginning, and responds perfectly to the complex twists in the tale. He does, however, need to brush up his dancing skills. The support cast of Thalaivasal Vijay, Kalairani and Nasser among others do justice to their roles. Depite the dialogues being weak in humour, Ganja Karuppu evokes laughter by his sheer delivery.

SA Chandrasekhar's direction is okay. Good cinematography by Jeevan, and impressive editing by Harsha, ensure the dramatic story progresses smoothly. In sum, the film is well worth a viewing.

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