Movie Review: Nanban

We all know how the movie 3 Idiots (an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel Five Point Someone – What not to do at IIT!) turned out to be, don't we? Yeah, Aal Izz Well! Taking light-hearted but pointed jabs at the current education system, the obsession with grades and the parental pressures to pursue oft-taken career paths, the 2009 film starring three middle-aged men (Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi) went on to become the biggest grosser in the Indian film history (it still is).

So it threw many a people off-guard, when ace director S. Shankar (of Indian, Mudhalvan, Jeans, Sivaji, Enthiran fame) decided to remake this already popular blockbuster in Tamil. When the lead cast was announced, after much confusion, it turned even more heads and quite a few wondered whether this gambit from Shankar would pay off. Judging by the public mood so far after its release on Jan 12, it is somewhat evident that he has struck gold once again.

Starring Vijay, Jiiva and Srikanth (reprising the roles of Aamir, Sharman and Madhavan respectively), Nanban is a frame by frame remake of 3 Idiots. For starters (are there any who haven't seen the original?), the story concerns the lives of three friends. Senthil (Jiiva) and Venkat (Srikanth), who join Ideal Engineering College, feel the pressures of family and studies like any college going student. Their lives go for a toss with the arrival of Pari (Vijay), a carefree spirited guy who has a positive outlook towards life (hence the aphorism Aal Izz Well!).

He is at constant loggerheads with the college director Virus (Sathyaraj), opposing the educational system, the rat race that's tagged with it, the practice of learning by rote (highlighted by a hilarious sequence) and gradually persuades his friends to follow their heart and take on challenges without any fear. After four years of college and successfully helping them out, he mysteriously vanishes and all their efforts to locate him prove futile. Ten years later, when Venkat gets a call from their college mate Silencer (Sathyan), the duo along with Senthil embark on a journey to find their long lost friend. Will they? Watch the movie for the answers.

While it's generally perceived that remaking movies is a tough job to crack, here is Shankar, who effortlessly dazzles in his first ever remake attempt in a career that spans almost two decades. But with a runtime of over three hours, the movie is a tad lengthy and some portions in the second half could have gone under the scissors.

Vijay, in a surprising volte-face, gives a matured performance as Pari, while Srikanth shines as the confused engineering student who wants to follow his ambition. Sathyan puts best use of his meaty role and leaves the audience in splits (watch out for the Teacher's Day speech). But the film ultimately belongs to Jiiva, who delivers a power-packed performance as Senthil. Nanban, ultimately may not bring anything new to the table, but is a neatly packaged family entertainer that leaves you Aal Well!