Looking at director Ahathian's latest Tamil offering, Nenjathai Killadhae one wouldn't have guessed that this is the same man who gave us hits like Kadhal Kottai and Gokulathil Seethai.
Loosely translated as 'don't pinch my heart', Nenjathai Killadhae is a three-hour torture session starring a gangly, loose-limbed Vikranth and Bharathi.
Vikranth plays Vasan, a gangly youth who gorges himself at a five-star hotel and grins at the waiter while showing his empty pockets when it is time to pay.
Seated at another table with her friends is our heroine Anandhi (Bharathi), who writes poetry on reams of paper about love being everyone's oxygen and carbon dioxide. Argh. Not another poetic and sensitive heroine who spouts verses at every turn.
But there's no chance of escape as that's exactly what soulful Anandhi (who looks a lot like Isha Koppikar) does. Not even the fact that she's actually a documentary filmmaker who walks around in pastel outfits and lives in a humongous house, could help steer us away from this fact. Making films, ahem, gives her the opportunity of running time and again into our hero (who looks and speaks so much like Vijay, its scary).
Coming from a filthy rich family comprising of a loving father (Manivannan) who has an affair, and a doting sister, our hero is always on the look-out for whatever life has to offer. Which explains why he takes on the role of a thief just for the heck of it, though he fails to explain this to a conscientious police officer Meyyappan (Yugendran).
Having Anandhi always barging into Vasan's life gives her plenty of chances to try to get to know him and also to challenge him that no man can ever escape sinful fantasies whenever he's alone with any girl. That is the cue for the hero and heroine to be alone, together at Kumarakom on a houseboat (of all places), on a miniature honeymoon.
But our hero is not ruled by his heart and doesn't even lay as much as a finger on our heroine which then prompts the filmmaker to lay in the poetic verses, dippy dialogues in chaste Tamil and dreamy song sequences to change the hero's mind.
If there is a villian at all in all this silliniess, it belongs to the script, which is full of cliches.
With the exception of Manivannan and Saranya, there's nothing much to write home about the performances.
Prem G Amaran's music is woefully dull complete with the requisite loud thumps and beats.
To conclude, NK's protagonists are walking stereotypes.
Rediff Rating: 
