Director Thiru (not the one who directed ‘Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai’) with Namitha in the company has dished out a glamourous entertainer that would obviously woo his target audience – the youngsters. The filmmaker seems to have been inspired heavily by ‘Summer of 42?, a 1971 classic directed by Robert Mulligan. But for Namitha, as promised by the promos, ‘Azhagana Ponnuthan’ has nothing big to offer to movie-goers.
In a nutshell, the movie is about a youth who loves a woman older to him one-sided. Though it is a bold theme considering the society that we live, the narration takes away all the sheen. A cliched presentation and predictable characterisation mars the flow of the film. Namitha is the saving grace as she appears in flaunting costumes, dances and eventually provides loads of advices too.Parthiban appears in the very first reel recollecting his travails with a woman whom he had developed an affinity in his teens.
A flashback takes one to Kodaikanal where Karthik (Karteesh) falls instantly for a gorgeous woman called Jennifer (Namitha), who is older to him. She is admired and respected by everyone, especially men. It is all but Karthik’s wild imagination is the rest. Karthik sings duets with Jennifer and runs behind her. However in the latter half, he goes into a shell brooding over his love and beloved. Twists and turns reveal that Jennifer’s husband has died in the Indo-Pak war of 1971. What happens then forms the climax.
Namitha has tried to shed her glamdoll image and perform in the movie. But a weak narration by Thiru gives no place for it. The commercial elements gives the movie a different colour, which unfortunately doesn’t work. The young Karteesh reminds one of ‘Kadhal Kondein’ Dhanush at many a place. Parthiban needs to be applauded for taking the guts to do such a role. A couple of songs by Sundar C Babu are hummable.
On the whole, Thiru has provided a bold theme that may work wonders with front-benchers.