Yennamo Yedho – Movie Review

Cast : Gautam Karthik, Rakul Preet, Nikesha Patel & Others.

Music : Imman

Cinematography : Gopi Jagadeeswaran 

Editing : I J Alen

Direction : Ravi Thyagarajan

Production : Ravi Prasad Productions

Run Time : 2:16:00

Release Date : 25-04-2014

Yennamo Yedho directed by debutant Ravi Tyagarajan is a faithful remake of the original Telugu film Ala Modalaindi. So faithful  that even the character names and most of the costumes which the exuberant Nithya Menon donned have been retained for Rakul Preet Singh. A done and dusted premise but a refreshing and pragmatic take is what makes Yennamo Yedho different from others.

Whenever a widely-celebrated film is remade in other language, it’s hard (if you had seen the original) to refrain from comparison assignment. But, let’s get rid of that temptation.

The opening scene in Yennamo Yedho begins with a bang. Gautham Karthik (Gautham) was abducted by Prabhu to prevent him from attending a wedding. Gautham too was on his way to play spoilsport in a marriage. Then the story unfolds as flashback narrated by Gautham on his road journey with Prabhu.

Rakul Preet Singh (Nithya) and Gautham meet in a wedding. But, the twist here is Nithya was dumped by the groom and Gautham was dumped by the bride. And then, the meet-cute follows. They both become friends, start to roam together and understand each other. Gautham gets impressed by an immature, lively and naive Nithya and finally decides to propose her before she introduces someone as her boy friend. And, the revelation that she is already been engaged comes as a shocker to Gautham. What happens to Gautham’s love and whether he marries Nithya or not is what makes the rest of the story.

Simply put, Yennamo Yedho is the love story of Gautham. It’s not the first time we are watching two people getting together and struggle to express their feelings for each other. It’s beaten to pulp in Tamil cinema. But, what makes Nandini Reddy’s writing refreshing here is there is no caste-politics and there is no generational enmity between the families. And thankfully, there are no screaming villains.

Rakul Preet Singh has given a middling performance. Her expressions hardly put a smile on your face and the chemistry between Rakul and Gautham looks unnatural and lacks sincerity. It’s really difficult to keep Nithya Menon away while watching the film, especially when you loved and quite enjoyed the original. The bedrock of Ala Modalaindi’s success was the crackling chemistry between Nani and Nithya Menon and the powerful screen presence of the latter. Yennamo Yedho, if performed by better actors,  could have been a great success. The rock-solid writing is evidently let down by not-so-exceptional acting.

Imman has done a commendable job and the songs are placed in right intervals, let alone the classic hit song Pudhiya Ulagai sung by Vaikom Vijayalakshmi.

The second half of the film is a fun ride and quite enjoyable. Thanks to the brilliant writing, we are dispensed with the inevitable melodrama and there are no contrivances too, a saving grace indeed. Gautham Karthik with his range of emotions has improved a lot in his second outing as a chocolate boy. Anupama Kumar as Gautham’s mother has given an endearing performance and Nikeesha Patel chipped in a good extended cameo role.

Yennamo Yedho is a love story that you have been witnessing on screen since time immemorial, but a refreshing take with a renewed vigor and a delightful handling of the script make this one stand unique. And, to an extent, a near-perfect writing is sadly let down by some poor performances. Nevertheless, it’s fun while it lasts.