Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya

Synopsis: Shiva (Sethu), KK (Santhanam) and Power (Dr Srinivasan) fall for Soumya (Vishakha), who has just moved into their locality. The close friends are now forced into a game of one-upmanship to win over the girl.

Review: In the beginning came Wilbur Sargunaraj. He was followed by Sam Anderson and Santosh Pandit. ‘Power Star’ Dr Srinivasan is the latest sensation on this illustrious list of performers whose fame was powered and disseminated by the internet and social networking and video sharing sites. As few have watched Dr Srinivasan’s debut movie ‘Lathika’ (which he claims ran for more than 250 days at a single theatre) and the others that featured him in small roles, people are turning out in hordes to watch him perform in a full-length comedy. And he doesn’t disappoint, revelling in the same antics and buffoonery that have made him a hit among the youth.

Manikandan and Santhanam (who is also the producer and co-writer of the movie) have taken the storyline of K Bhagyaraj’s 1981 movie ‘Indru Poi Naalai Vaa’ and adapted it to our times. If the Bhagyaraj movie had the classic line “Ek gaon mein ek kisan rehta tha”, there are many dialogues in this movie that are bound to become popular, if they have not by now.

Manikandan gives all the three leads almost equal screen time, and maintains an easy pace throughout. Though there is nothing spectacularly new in the scenes or situations, it is difficult to remove one’s eyes from the screen even for a minute because of the gags and one-liners that pepper the movie. Among the scenes that stand out are those in which KK and Power convince V T V Ganesh (who plays Soumya’s uncle, a music vidwan) and dance master Shiv Shankar (playing her father) to accept them as their disciples and the torment they undergo.

There is a serious actor hidden somewhere inside Santhanam, who seems to be waiting for the right opportunity or role to break out of the comedian and sidekick roles he is confined to now. Enough indication of this is on display in the scene in which he proposes to Soumya, which can put many commercially successful actors to shame. Supporting actors like V T V Ganesh, Shiv Shankar, Kovai Sarala and Devadarshini do a good job keeping the laughs coming, but Sethu and Vishakha still have a lot to learn.

Thaman’s score is in tune with the mood of the movie, with the title song (by Rahul Nambiar) and ‘Love letter’ (Mukesh) being the best of the lot. Balasubramaniem’s work behind the camera lends a rich and colourful look to the movie, though Power Star’s costumes also contribute a lot to this.

After making numerous ad films, Manikandan has now carved out a name for himself in the Tamil film industry by giving a huge hit with his first movie itself. But history will also remember him for another reason – having unleashed Dr Srinivasan on an unsuspecting Tamil audience. God alone can save us now!