Coming Soon - Yaaradi Nee Mohini

I mentioned before that 2008 has been a rather unexciting year for cinema so far. One of the signs - or even reasons - for my feeling that way was the lack of releases of Tamil films on the big screen here in the US. Films released almost every week even last year and with multiple theaters screening Tamil films, we actually had more than 1 film to choose from even on some regular(i.e. non-festival) weekends. But the last film screened in theaters here in the Bay Area was Saadhu Mirandaal in early February. After almost 2 months, Yaaradi Nee Mohini is being screened this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it.

The fact that Selvaraghavan is a saleable brand in Tamil cinema is pretty obvious from the publicity for YNM. A remake of the Telugu film Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule that was directed by him, the film is directed by his assistant Jawahar Mithran but one wouldn't realize that from the posters. Its Selva's name that is displayed prominently as the man in charge of the story and screenplay. With Kaadhal Konden, 7/G Rainbow Colony and Pudhupettai, Selva has built up a name - and a following - for his brand of raw, earthy cinema. His films, particularly the first 2, portrayed youthful angst in an in-your-face style that was uncomfortable but successfully walked the line between realism and cinema. But from what I read about AMAV, it is not a film in Selva's usual style and is supposed to be a family film - a phrase that definitely can't be applied to any of his earlier films.

When a film gets together a lead pair who have recorded recent hits, the film's profile automatically becomes higher. YNM pairs up Dhanush and Nayanthara for the first time(for those interested in trivia, Nayanthara becomes the 2nd heroine,after Shreya, to act as heroine with both father-in-law and son-in-law:-). While Dhanush last gave us Pollaadhavan, a critical and commercial hit, Nayanthara has become Tamil cinema's latest pin-up girl by virtue of walking around in a bikini in Billa, a huge hit. Looking at the trailer, Dhanush seems to be doing the playful, light-hearted role that he does real well while Nayanthara looks gorgeous in a role far removed from her glamorous, action-oriented role in Billa.Theirs is a fresh, interesting pairing and if one goes by an interview they gave together on Sun TV for Pongal, they share good chemistry also. The film also stars Raghuvaran, whose appearance on screen is sure to raise a twinge of sadness considering his recent demise, and Karthick Kumar, who played the third corner of the love triangle in Kanda Naal Mudhal.

Yuvan Shankar Raja has delivered some of his best albums for Selva and its no surprise that he is scoring the music for YNM too. While I haven't heard the songs in the movie's Telugu original, Yuvan is supposed to have dropped one song and reused the same tunes for the remaining five. Oru Naalaikkul... is sung well by Karthik and caught my fancy immediately. The slow Venmegam..., sung by Hariharan, is the other good number. Nenjai Kasakki... and Engeyo... fall in the now-familiar category of "good songs that sound bad because they were sung by Udit Narayan". Baby Oh Baby... is rather average.

Into the second quarter of 2008, Tamil cinema desperately needs a bonafide hit to perk things up. Lets hope Yaaradi Nee Mohini is it...