Chikku Bukku is tedious

Pavithra Srinivasan reviews the Tamil movie, Chikku Bukku. Post YOUR reviews here!

MediaOne Global Entertainment and Majestic Multimedia's long awaited Chikku Bukku is directed by late Jeeva's assistant, G Manigandan. This is one candy floss journey that has everything going for it technically, but is even less substantial than the bubbly, frothy emotions it's supposed to promote.

Right when you see two pink and lavender bees circling around the title credits in rainbow-land, you're aware of the kind of film this is going to be. You're taken to a montage of London and introduced to Arjun, a DJ (Arya), who's a natural charmer, and Anu (Shreya), a happy-go-lucky, free spirit (the kind you've seen her play a dozen times) who plays pranks on her classmates instead of studying, jumps up and down like a lunatic and speaks with an affectation that reminds you of a five-year-old.

The happiness is cut short when both the well dressed protagonists have to return home. Arjun, to reclaim his ancestral home in Karaikudi, while Anu is wanted in India as her sick father in Madurai would like to see her right away. Neither is happy about the journey, and naturally, problems arise the moment they set foot in India.

Cut to 1985, when Sekar (Arya again, in a throwback to Love Aaj Kal) walks the streets of Karaikudi to his ancestral home for a family function. He bumps into a slim and designer-wear toting Meenal (Preethika) and falls in love with her right away. Enters Ammaiyappan (Anoop) which turns the affair into a love triangle.

Arya is his usual morose and silent self in most scenes and appears to make no effort at all to act. Shreya is perfectly made-up but irritating. She jumps up and down when ever she gets a chance, which is most of the time. Her voice grates and gets on your nerves. Of the three leads, Preethika walks away with the honours. She brings across a sense of vulnerability that's fresh and appealing. Anoop looks constipated, while Santhanam is there, seemingly to provide comic relief that doesn't really work. The rest of the cast is in blink-and-miss roles.

R B Gurudev, the cinematographer, is undoubtedly the star of the show: he's recognised the candy-land aura of the film and used all the right tones to showcase it. While the hairstyles depicting the 80s are okay, the costumes are woefully modern.

The Colonial Cousins try their best to set a romantic mood, but so much of their music has a North Indian flavour that it's difficult to equate it with Karaikkudi and Madurai. Milan's art-work gets it right at certain points in the flashback scenes, but fall through at others, while V T Vijayan's editing skills could have been put to better use.

Its Manigandan, though, who needs to shoulder the blame for such a lame script. Liberally borrowed from half a dozen Hindi romantic flicks (and a good few abroad), there's nothing natural about this tale. Its leads wear beautiful clothes, hold romantic picnics in the middle of nowhere, have no cares about their family and act like brats.

Chikku Bukku could have been a neat romantic tale, but the journey breaks down too much to ever hold your attention for long.

Rediff Rating: