Engeyum Eppodhum

Debutant director Saravanan’s Engeyum Eppothum is riveting cinema with a difference. Everything is new about it from characters to the plot, accompanied by superb performances by the lead actors notably Anjali.

Two romantic stories set in Trichy and Chennai interweave leading to a bus journey and a stunning climax. It also highlights how our highways are turning into virtual death traps with mounting fatal accidents that shatter the dreams of many young people.

The story revolves around two romantic pairs. The film opens with two buses colliding head on somewhere near Villipuram on the Chennai-Tiruchi highway. In a flashback mode the story unfolds about Amuda (Ananya) who goes from Tiruchi to Chennai for an interview and fate has it that a total stranger (Sarva) helps her out. She does not bother to know the name of the stranger till the climax.

Meanwhile a nurse in a hospital in Tiruchi the dominating Manimegalai (Anjali) falls for the submissive Kathiresan (Jai) and their romance blooms, before fate intervenes in a cruel way. The climax is well worked out as the principal characters hoping that their life has a happy ending finds their hopes and aspiration dashed for no fault of theirs.

What makes the film work is the two crackling romances, one set in Tiruchi and the other in Chennai. The Chennai romance between Amuda and the stranger is beautifully worked out in the city’s MTC buses. The over cautious girl by the end of the day developing a soft corner which becomes love is brought out innovatively. The other romance in Tiruchi set against its popular hangout’s is hilarious at the same time heart-warming. The dominant and out spoken Manimekala having the submissive and innocent Kathiresan dancing to her tunes is refreshingly fresh.

C Sathya’s music mainly the background is catchy. The way the title cards are shown and the sounds accompanying it as the bus moves is a smart idea that identifies the area with a sound of a suburban electric train or flights landing and taking off. Velraj’s camera is neat and enhances the narrative.

The highlight of the film is it lead actors Anjali, Ananya, Jai and Sarva who live the role of the characters they play. On the downside the film drags a bit in the first half, and there are too many flashbacks coming one after the other, which is confusing in the first half.

Verdict- Above Average