Movie Review: Nanban (Tamil) - It Is ‘All Is Well’ Time Again!

It’s Pongal time in Tamil Nadu and the festive season is also a lucrative period for the Kollywood box office. After Pokkiri  for Pongal 2007 and Kaavalan  for Pongal 2011, ‘Ilayathalapathy’ Vijay is back for Pongal 2012 with Nanban, the official remake of the Bollywood blockbuster '3 Idiots'. As if this wasn’t big enough, the film is being directed by one of India’s top directors, Shankar and music is by Harris Jayaraj. After the long wait, Nanban has finally arrived today and I got a ticket for the evening show. Before I start to dwell on the film, I would like to make it clear that those expecting a different version of '3 Idiots' would be left disappointed as Shanker has remained totally faithful to the original and the only extra feature is a song. The atmosphere in the theatre was electric, especially considering the fact that it was the releasing day. Nanban tells a heart-warming and now very familiar tale of friendship between 3 friends, Paari (Vijay), Venkat (Srikanth) and Senthil (Jeeva). The film starts off with Venkat faking a heart attack to get off his plane, which has just taken off, following a phone call from Silencer claiming to have finally found Paari. The other two are called in too, and the excited trio sets off with Silencer to meet the friend they had not seen in 10 years. During the journey, the friends  recollect their college life and their special friend to whom they owed their life- Paari. Paari had shown them a whole new aspect of life with his concept of ‘All is Well’. Where is Paari? Is he alive or dead?  In case you were just rescued from a deserted island with access to no form of communication, you are probably the only Indian moviegoer who does not know the answers to those questions. In case you did just return from said island, these questions are answered in the course of the film.

Much like the original, Nanban also has several fine performances. Vijay has done a good job as Paari. Though in some scenes, he tries to ape Aamir, he does not make a mess of it. It has to be his career best performance. Jeeva and Srikanth both excel in their roles especially Jeeva who continues to show promise with each new film of his. Satyan gives a new dimension to the character of Silencer. Satyaraj has once again done a superb job as Virus. Ileana is good in parts. There are times when she is good and then there are times when she is awful. SJ Suryah does a neat cameo. Shanker has once again proved why he is one of India’s top directors. He has made the near-impossible task of remaking a cult film like 3 Idiots seem easy. He hasn’t altered the screenplay at all except for the addition of an extra song to suit the Tamil audience. Another plus point is the casting of the lead actors. The chemistry between Vijay, Jeeva and Srikanth is absolutely rocking. The cinematography is top notch and so is the editing. Full marks to the technical crew and the graphics department for making the visuals in the song outstanding - a trademark of Shanker’s films. Harris Jayaraj’s music has already become chartbusters. ‘En frienda pola yaaru macha’ , ‘Aska laska’ , ‘Irukaana’ and  ‘All is well’ are the rip-rocker songs while ‘Nalla Nanban’ is a soul stirring song.  Overall, Nanban is a very nicely crafted campus family- entertainer and deftly executed remake. Those who haven’t watched '3 Idiots' will have a blast while those who have won’t be disappointed either. Pongal is well!!! Verdict- Very Good Rating- 4.25/5