Brindavanam review: This wonderful film is a garden that must be experienced

Radhamohan is back and how! The director, known for his classy, entertaining films that remind one of all that is truly important in life, comes up with another heart warming, feel-good entertainer in Brindavanam.

Every bit of the film has Radhamohan’s class stamped on it and to his credit, he seems to have proved again that a good director is capable of making even relative newcomers deliver the output equal to those of established, experienced artistes in the industry.

Kannan (Arulnidhi), a hearing and speech impaired hair dresser, leads a peaceful and content life in Ooty. His small world revolves around his friend and colleague at work, Varkki (Senthil), and his childhood friend, Sandhya (Tanya Ravichandran), the daughter of a rich supermarket owner.

Kannan’s favourite pastime is watching comedy sequences on television channels, comedian Vivekh in particular. So, imagine his delight when he discovers one day that his favourite actor is in Ooty for a personal reason. The actor Vivekh, who keeps his face covered to avoid drawing public attention, finds himself in a fix after his car stalls. Kannan, who passes by, offers to help without realising that the person inside the vehicle is his favourite comedian. Eventually, he finds out who the driver is and there begins a beautiful friendship between the two.

Kannan soon realises that Vivekh is there to take care of a friend, whose days are numbered. The dying man’s last wish is to meet his daughter and eventually, Kannan, Tanya and Varkki help Vivekh fulfil that wish. Soon, the man passes away content at having met his daughter. His mission accomplished, Vivekh gets ready to return to Chennai when he learns that Tanya is in love with Kannan. However, Kannan, for some reason, does not wish to admit that he is in love with her as well. The actor notices this and chooses to postpone his return journey to have a chat with Kannan about the issue. It is then that he learns a shocking truth stuns him, and everybody else who has known the mute Kannan.

The film revolves around three characters, and all three deserve a special round of applause for effortlessly carrying the film on their shoulders.

The first of these is Vivekh. The seasoned campaigner, who plays himself in the film, shows why he is rated so highly. His witty statements work yet again. In fact, Vivekh even takes friendly pot shots at some of his fellow comedians, who have now overtaken him in the comedy business. Comedy by itself is a difficult ball game. To mix that in right proportion with sentimental and serious scenes requires a great deal of patience, caution and awareness. Vivekh and Radhamohan both seem to have scored big time in these departments.

Next in line is Arulnithi. Arulnithi, a fairly new arrival on the scene, plays the role of Kannan, a hearing and speech impaired person, with almost the same panache that Jyothika, an experienced artiste, showcased while she played the role of Archana in Mozhi (2007). At no given point does the actor show any signs of discomfort playing this highly challenging role. As a result, he delivers a superb performance.

Equally impressive is the work of Tanya Ravichandran. Tanya steals the show as the proud, confident, spunky daughter of a rich businessman. Elegant in some scenes and hilarious in others, Tanya shows she can handle any genre. Confident and comfortable, she comes across as a gifted and graceful actress.

Apart from these three, Senthil as Varkki, MS Bhaskar as Louis and Cell Murugan as Mani add value to the film with their performances.

Cinematographer Vivekanand sets the mood for the story with his brilliant camerawork. His camera has greedily captured Ooty’s beauty and reproduced it to treat the eyes of the audience.

Vishal Chandrashekar’s songs and background score are reasonably good and add to the film’s impact.

On the whole, this Brindavanam is a garden that needs to be seen to be experienced!

Reviewed by Manikandan KR