Film: "Naan Than Bala";
Cast: Vivekh, Swetha, Venkatraj, Cell Murugan, Sounder, Lavanya and Sujatha;
Director: R. Kannan;
Rating: **1/2
The fate of a good intentioned film sans the elements of entertainment always lies in the hands of the audiences. It's extremely difficult to judge the pulse of the viewers nowadays because they're exposed to all kinds of cinema - from regular commercial material to art house and independent films.
A highly-anticipated film can turn out to be a dud and the most unexpected low-budget movie can rake in the moolah. Vivekh-starrer "Naan Than Bala", which dares to explore an uncharted territory, faces a similar fate at the box office as it doesn't feature all the necessary elements to please the entertainment deprived audiences of Tamil cinema.
Stepping out of his comfort zone as a comedian, Vivekh dons a very serious role of that of a temple priest in the film.
When Poochi, a man Bala has never met in his life, comes forth to help him free his aged father from jail for a crime he never committed, he decides to spend the rest of his life in his service. Bala believes Poochi is the reincarnation of god and it is his duty to serve him till his last breath.
But Poochi is a paid assassin, one who has murdered many for a price and helped Bala free his father from the money he received for killing someone. Bala confronts Poochi and convinces him to surrender to police by turning approver and turn against his boss.
When most comedians are turning heroes to cash in on their popularity, Vivekh attempts to inspire his fans with his earnest effort. With utmost sincerity and dedication, he transforms into a priest, recites shlokas in impeccable Sanskrit and still has his sense of humour intact and uses it occasionally in the film.
