Varanam Aayiram - A review

Varanam Aayiram - Many people dont know what that "Varanam" means and actually the word does not have any relation to the movie. Simran tries to give a correlation to the name of the movie and the actual movie at the end and it was like - we writing about cricket elaborately when we were asked to write about mechanism of TV in a detail answer and finally ending up saying that we watch cricket in TV.

Actually Varanam means Elephant and it comes in the andal's poems as "Varanam aayiram soora vatham seithu - naranan nambi nadakindrar". Anyways its a good rhymic title Gautam Menon usually goes for.

Its a thanks giving movie by Gautham Menon to honor his father who passed away recently.The story is Surya (his name is Surya in the movie as well) narrates about his days with his father Krishnan (Surya playing the father role) and how much he means to him when he hears his father has passed away while he was in an Indian Army mission.

The story starts with Malini(Simran) Surya's mother telling how she & his father made love and got married. They were actually students of Madras Christian college where they first met and started loving. They both score the opening song of the movie - Mundhinam Parthene - Naresh Iyer has set new definitions for singing a melody. Gautam Menon has tried to show the late 70s and early 80s in this song except the song is a branded one of Harris musical styles of this decade.

Surya grows seeing the mutual love that their parents share and the screens scroll showing Surya - a mech engg student meeting the heroine - Megna (Sameera Reddy) in a trian while on his vacation to home. Sameera is really pretty while Simran is getting pretty old.Now Megna & Surya in the same compartment opposite berths. I need not blow the trumphet of Gautam Menon's abilities in running the romantic screenplay for this. Its a overpitch flying to the pavilion from the willows of Yuvraj.

Surya falls in love on sight with Megna. He gets thrilled - excited. There are less dialogues in these frames complemented by Harris's background score. Finally she introduces herself and tells she already know him as he played guitar in a musical contest in REC Trichy where she does her Comp Sci Engg.

Excited Hero takes his guitar and plays "En iniya pon nilave song" ...Even after many years - the song was very young and pleasant to hear - Raja is a Raja..

Guys who were uttering the dialogue "Avalukku enna pudikala..athu enakku pudinchirunthuthu" from Kaakha Kaakha were not disappointed by Mr.Menon in this movie.....You have lot of dialogues like that in this movie and Hero closes this frame with Gautam Menon's branded dialogue........

"ippadi ellam naan behave pannathu illa

intha alavu guts irunthathum illa..irukkum kooda theriyathu..

aana ithukku munnadi unnai maari oru ponna paathathu illa....."

The departing frame welcomes the second song of the movie "Nenjukkul vizhunthidum Mamazhai".Thamarai's lyrical talents drizzle's tamizh beauty over the heart and Hariharan's silky voice echoes in the ears even after the song and after the movie - like the the smell of the earth after the drizzle.

I should note Thamarai's situational lyrics in the song.....

"ival yaaro yaaro theriyathe

ival pinnal nenje pogathe

ithu poyyo meyyo theriyathe

ival pinnal nenje pogathe"

Surya follows to her house, comes to know that she travels to US to pursue her MS in Berkely University, SFO and promises that he ll travel to US to see her. But the financial situation of the family was not well and surya earns money by doing projects to companies and also through his musical skills in guitar. With this money he improves the financial status of the family & manages to apply and get a tourist Visa to travel to US.

He travels to US and meets Megna in Berkely. Sameera Reddy - Suspension bridge of SFO - Harris background score - Gautam Menon's direction. I know you need no further explanation to tell the visual & audio treat that this part of the celluloid brings to the audience. I really felt for not doing M.S in US... ;-((

Azhage kolluthe song falls in this reel of the film.They both have a good time and suddenly Megna dies in a bomb blast that happens in Okhlahoma when she goes there for a 3 day visit regarding project. [I was not in the group of guys who left the theatre after this - thinking the movie is all over.]

Surya gets disappointed and he returns back to India. While he returns back he happens to meet a guy named Shankar Menon who helps consoling surya on the death of his lover.

He could not forgot her and becomes a drug addict and comes the fourth song of the movie "Ava enna enna thedi vantha anjala" Again Thamarai has done exceptionally well in unloading the feelings of Surya in her lyrics. Please note these lyrics in the song.

"Ava onnukulla onna

nenju kulla ninna

konjam konjamaaga

uyir pichu pichu thinna

ava oththa vartha sonna

athu minnum minnum ponna

ada enna solli enna

ava makki pona manna"

Krishnan helps surya in getting rid of the drugs. Here comes the message of the movie through the words of Surya's father - "Whatever happens - life has to go on"....

Surya goes on a trip to Jammu & Kashmir in search of his renaissance. He then comes to know that son of Shankar Menon - is kidnapped.He then actively involves in rescuing the child. Babloo made an appearance in 70mm screens after a long gap playing the kidnapper role - Azad.

Surya rescues the child. He works hard then - builts the six packs and aspires to go for a military job.

Priya (Divya Spandana) a friend of Surya's sister expresses her love she had on Surya for a long time. Surya neither accepts or denies the proposal and goes to join the Army in North India. After 5 years - Divya meets Surya in an Army camp when she gets posted there. Surya accepts the proposal and they get married. Harris Jeyaraj's orthodox song sung by Bombay Jayashri falls here as the final song of the movie - "Anal mele pani thuliye..."

Surya's father - Krishnan developed throat cancer and his condition gets worse. Surya while taking care of his father receives a call from Army to execute an important mission and Surya leaves for the mission. During the start of the mission he comes to know that his father has passed away and he continues to execute the mission successfully and returns to pay the last honors to his father. As said - the entire story is narrated by Surya on hearing that his father has expired and while coming back to his place to see his father.

On an overall - its a good movie to watch once..!!

Sameera is impressive - Surya is aggressive -Harris Jeyaraj's Music is Exclusive - Thamarai's lyrics are expressive - Choice of Divya spandana is interrogative - Menon's direction is intuitive - the story is little passive

But if you have recently watched Aegan,Kuselan...Please definetly go get tickets for Varanam Aayiram to regain an interest for tamil movies.

Varanam Aayiram - 6/10.