Goa turns paal khoa

I will try to not sound like a film critic.
Cast: Jai,Premgi Amaren,Vaibhav Reddy,Sampath,Arvind Akash,Sneha,Pia Bajpai,Melanie Marie,Prasanna & Simbhu(both do a guest appearance).
Direction: Venkat Prabhu
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Producer: Soundarya Rajnikanth


We booked tickets in advance & reached the theater on time.I even had to compromise on a sumptuous saturday lunch because we had to be on time. And then the movie starts...In a nutshell, watching Goa was like being invited by a neighbour for a hearty meal & eating the food that is actually borrowed from other neighbours. Goa lacks originality & there is an overdose of mockery of other films & actors.

The plot is simple.The director must be appreciated because he has had the guts to just believe on a straightforward, no-suspense script.Makes us miss Saroja so much!
There are 3 guys - Saamikannu (Premji), Ramarajan (Vaibhav) & Vinayakam (Jai) who are best buddies in Pannapuram village. They are known for running away from the village during auspicious festive seasons & eventually getting caught for it! One such attempt infuriates their dads & they are forbidden to speak to each other..as they say - It was the Naatamais theerpu!!! So these guys escape to Madurai from where they hop away to Goa thinking they would each find a 'foreign' girl, marry her and then enjoy a luxurious life.

They meet Arvind Akash(Chennai 28) & Sampath (of Saroja fame) in Goa who help them get trendy & modern (yes,to find a gal)... here comes the surprise package which pretty much left some of us in shock. Arvind & Sampath love each other (love?!..yeah rightt)!!!Both look quite menacing which would make one think these are the villains, but NO. Apart from their on-screen 'romance', they are good.Not the performance, their characters :-)

Pia Bajpai is a club singer who hasnt got much to do apart from wearing the shortest trousers reminding the audience that it is GOA indeed. How such a girl falls for a village simpleton (Jai) isnt explained. Probably to reiterate the fact that Love is Blind. Jai's attempts to speak 'American' english is hilarious.

Melanie Marie looks quite good & is paired with Premgi. Yuvan would have had a ball doing music for this movie because more than 80% of the back ground score is borrowed from other movies. When Melanie & Premgi meet for the 1st time- the famous "Kangal Irandal" song plays. The scene actually looks cute the 1st time,but just when you think "Oh cant I have more of that..!!?", you get exhausted listening to it again & again. Premgi is enthusiastic & over-enthusiastic at times- both are enjoyable. No complaints.

Vaibhav is a total fun-do in the movie.My favourite character in the movie is his. His body language for a Natamai's-spoilt-womanizer son is too good! Sneha & Vaibhav have a short romantic interlude.

Sneha is a disaster who doesnt fail to deliver some of the dumbest dialogues. Example, she says "Do you know..Iam one of the best female entrepreneurs in India". She is neither a villanous psycho nor a successful-but-insecure-business woman. Her character hangs somewhere in between.After a fabulous film like "Achamundu Achamundu", she could have been more careful in choosing roles.Let us hope this movie doesnt mark the end of her filmography.

Prasanna plays Sneha's ex-husband. His on-screen presence is just for 5 mins-makes us long for more of him.

Music is good but doesnt seem to be bearing the 'Yuvan Shankar Raja' stamp on it.Except for one Yuvan-style romantic song - 'Ithu varai' sung by Ajeesh (Airtel Super singer 2008 winner) & Andrea, other songs dont have the chartbuster feel to them. 'Vaaliba Vaa Vaa' would be liked by many as it brings together Ilayaraja-SPB-Chitra after we dont know many years.The picturisation for such a song is irksome.Its second half is tolerable with Premgi at his histrionic best.
'Yelelu thalaimuraikum' & 'Adida nayyandi' look like glorified versions of a typical Ilayaraja-Gangai Amaren folklore.

As for Soundarya, the producer - she would make some decent profit is my guess.

The movie started off very well.And when the whole story unfolds & when we expect some better scenes & songs- the director disappoints us.

My rating : 2/5