Aanandha Poongaatre
Review

 

 Movie
 Aaanandha Poongaatre
 Director
Rajkapur
Music
Deva
 Cast
Karthik, Meena, Malavika
Release   
27.05.1999   
   
 

   Karthik and Ajith team up again after the success of Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen. But this time, Ajith plays the hero while Karthik has the extended cameo. While that was no classic, it did offer two and a half hours of solid, feel-good entertainment. This movie doesn't do too well on that front either.

Meenakshi(Meena) is a widow living with her son Nandu. Jeeva(Ajith), living in the same colony, has been pining silently for her for the last 4 years. He runs an organization called A-to-Z, which can get anything done for anybody.

Jeeva follows Divya(Malavika, last seen with Ajith in Unnai Thedi) to get some information on her for her suitor but she ends up falling for him and pursues him relentlessly. He avoids her, telling her that he is already in love with someone else and when cornered, reveals that it is Meenakshi.

This leads to some surprising revelations about Meenakshi's past, her relationship with singer Haridas (Karthik) and Jeeva's love for her. Meanwhile, Divya's father, a staunch supporter of love marriage, kidnaps Nandu and asks Jeeva to marry Divya. Jeeva ofcourse accepts and things are then resolved in the climax.

Most scenes in this movie have a familiar feel to them. And the story itself - the hero wooing the heroine with the help of the other colony members while the heroine has secrets in her past - is the same that the director had in his other feature Aval Varuvaalaa. The flashback involving Karthik and Meena is the best part of the movie and the relationship between them is well-developed. The director also succeeds in providing a nice reason for Ajith's feelings towards Meena. But the climax is so cinematic that it almost spoils all the goodwill the director earned till then.

Ajith does his part well and doesn't squander the good name that Vaali earned him. Nice to see Meena on screen after a while but Malavika better enroll in some acting classes fast. Karthik does the usual soft-spoken, kind-hearted role he seems to specialise in these days (see Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen, Nilave Mugam Kaattu).It's pretty sad to see Ambika, who ruled the roost in tamil cinema a few years back, accept such a marginal role with almost no screen time.

Manivannan and Vadivelu indulge in some cheap jokes to evoke some laughter but don't succeed. Deva has one good tune and six or so bad tunes. Wish the music directors would stop singing for the heroes. Its grating to hear Ajith singing in Deva's voice. 

Review by Balaji Balasubramaniam

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