It has been many years since we saw a Vijay film sans heroism, fights and villains – a film that relies only on emotions, relationships and situations, where character is the hero. There was Jeeva of Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Kutty of Thulladha Manamum Thullum, Bhoomi of Kavalan, but they were still avatars of Vijay who are heroes in their own right. But the hero this time is Panjavan Paarivendhan aka Paari – the hero Vijay has completely got into the skin of the character that you forget the hero in him. He is your friend, your nanban. Literature The script of the movie done by Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi has been beautifully adopted for Tamil audience such that you don't feel anything alien in the whole proceedings. The dialogs written by Madhan Karky and Shankar are crisp, youthful and fit in exactly with the mood of the scenes. The speech of Silencer, which was much acclaimed in the original, leaves the audience ROTFL much talked about song lyrics, especially Ask Laska and 'All Is Well', are well brought out in the visuals. Lot of intelligence has been put into the film and it has paid off. Chemistry The chemistry between the lead pair, though they appear together for very few scenes and couple of songs is really cute and they really make a good pair. Their subtle love that runs along with the story is a delight to watch. But what makes a bigger impression is the chemistry between the lead trio – Vijay, Jiiva and Srikanth. It has worked out so well, otherwise we would not have been on an emotional journey with them for 3+ hours.
If there is a backbone that supports the whole film, it is Vijay's role as Panchavan Paarivendhan, which I doubt anyone else would have done with such utmost sincerity and at the same time fitting perfectly for the character. Having played many physically powerful mass hero roles and sweet romantic hero characters, he has shed all his heroism and image to underplay the role of a mentally strong genius. As a naughty student wishing to see a change in education system, caring friend who wants his friends to get the best out of life, romantic lover who locks his emotions, daring youngster to challenge his dean, novice helping his lover's sister to deliver a child – Vijay's role has a lot of dimensions to it and shines in each of it outstandingly. From an uneducated local mechanic to a college topper, everything comes to him with ease and all it requires is a skilled director to use it in a powerful script. And this time, everything has fallen into place which gives every fan the delight of watching Vijay in the role of a lifetime. Thalaivaa! You are great! To sum up, Nanban is one of the best engineered remakes. Disliking a film like this definitely prescribes you a doctor appointment for psychiatric cure. You see it as a copy, you copy paste your comments of hatred usually made for Vijay films. You see it as a remake, you will end up making only comparisons. You see it as a Vijay film, your bias on Vijay will alter your opinions. You see it as an entertainer, it gives you loads of entertainment, more than what you expect. It is a beautiful journey of life that every movie lover will enjoy.
