2 / 4 STARS
DIRECTOR: GOUTHAM
ACTORS: MADHAVAN, ABBAS
ACTRESS: RIMA SEN
MUSIC DIRECTOR: HARRIS JAYARAJ
STORYLINE:
Madhavan plays Rajesh, a rowdy but kind-hearted college student who often battles with Sam (Abbas) during their college years. After college, after Sam has gone to America, Rajesh falls in love with Reena (Rima Sen), a girl he sees in the rain. He soon learns that she is already engaged to be married to foreign-based Rajiv, but has never seen him, so Rajesh shows up at her door, pretending to be her fiance.
Rajiv turns out to be Sam, whose full name is Rajiv Samuel. Their old college fights heat up again as they battle for the same girl, and all the while, Reena must choose whether she loves the man she was intended to love, or the man who came into her life through a lie.
COMMENTS:
The beginning thirty minutes of this movie is extraordinarily boring, and Madhavan, who showed much promise with "Alai Paayuthey" fell out of my favor with surprising speed. He is not a believable rowdy at all.
But if you can sit past those first thirty minutes, I'm happy to say the movie becomes much better. The romance between Rajesh and Reenu is done well (except maybe the love at first sight thing in the lightning). Unfortunately, the movie is so ridiculously predictable that I could quote the dialogue of certain characters' before they spoke them. I could also see the ending a mile away. Plot holes also run amok in the screenplay, so if you want to enjoy this movie, ignore them.
One highlight of the movie is Vivek. As usual, Vivek's rants against Indian tradition are funny if crude. Unfortunately, Vivek appears for a very short time, just as he did in the previous Madhavan outing, Alai Paayuthey.
Reema Sen acts as well as is expected of her, and is far more appealing than her now-long-lost sister, Riya Sen.
If it weren't for Piriyaadha Varam Vaendum, Minnalae would have been the best film released so far in the year 2001. This isn't saying much, since so far, the year has been incredibly average. (All hopes on Kamal Haasan's "Aalavandhaan."
Madhavan regains some momentum from the more average Ennavalae, but not enough. He needs to learn to pick scripts with less cliched moments to try and top Vijay or Ajit, though.
NOTE ON THE MUSIC:
Listening to the Minnalae soundtrack by Harris Jayaraj, A.R. Rahman's assistant, is a pleasure. Ore Nyaabagam, Venmathi, Vaseegara, and Vaeraena ara all very nicely done. Unfortunately, the picturisation wrecks most of the songs in the film.
RECOMMENDATION:
Watch it on video.
VIJAY VANNIARAJAN