Enai Noki Paayum Thota Movie Review: Dhanush is excellent in overstretched action drama

Director Gautham Menon's Enai Noki Paayum Thota starring Dhanush and Megha Akash has a solid storyline. But the promising action drama is diluted by weak writing.

Megha Akash and Dhanush in Enai Noki Paayum Thota
Megha Akash and Dhanush in Enai Noki Paayum Thota
Movie Name: Enai Noki Paayum Thota
Director: Gautham Menon

Raghu (Dhanush) is in 'beast mode', as he says. He is taking on a bunch of armed gangsters whose only aim is to kill him. A lengthy voiceover interrupts and we hear the story of Raghu and why he ended up in this situation. As a bullet is all set to strike Raghu, the title credits roll. That's a proper 'Gautham Menon' introduction Enai Noki Paayum Thota can get.

When Gautham Menon's name appears on the screen, the crowd erupts and reminds us that it has been years since the filmmaker churned out a film. Enai Noki Paayum Thota has Gautham Menon written all over it. The heartwarming romance, slick action sequences, classy twists. You name it, the film has got all of it and in abundance.

And that's where Enai Noki Paayum Thota goes haywire. Raghu meets Lekha (a promising Megha Akash), a budding heroine in his college. It's almost love at first sight for them, but the romance takes its own time to unfold. Lekha is not an easy catch. She has had a bad childhood and her caretaker has bad intentions. The story eventually takes Lekha to Mumbai, where she meets Raghu's lost brother Thiru (Sasikumar). Both of them are stuck in deep trouble and how Raghu gets interlinked here forms the rest of the story.

Enai Noki Paayum Thota has a solid storyline with a promising cop story in the backdrop. But, as the film progresses, the story goes haywire. If one is willing to look past umpteen crazy coincidences and some logical loopholes, there is a nice story in there, a cliched one at that.

Gautham Menon's trademark writing is visible in every frame, but one could wish that he had concentrated more on the screenplay, which would have made the proceedings far more engaging. Dhanush gets seriously injured more than once and rises like a phoenix just because he's the hero of the movie. Now, this is some lethargic writing you don't expect from Gautham Menon.

Dhanush is earnest in his performance and one cannot take their eyes off him when he's on screen. Especially during the emotional sequences, the actor makes you buy the pain that he is in and that's the trademark of a brilliant actor. Megha Akash, too, delivers an arresting performance as the helpless Lekha.

The romance portion featuring Dhanush and Megha Akash needs special mention. Throughout the story, Lekha takes the first step and Raghu is hesitant. He proceeds only when he knows that Lekha is comfortable. Gautham Menon treats women as they should be treated and it hasn't changed one bit in this venture as well.

What Enai Noki Paayum Thota needed was a strong villain. Kuberan (Senthil Veerasamy) is menacing enough, but there could have been some impactful scenes to show his 'gethu (grit)'.

The soul of Enai Noki Paayum Thota lies in Darbuka Siva's songs and background music. It is classic stuff that will stay relevant for years to come (it's already been four years since the album released). Three cinematographers (Jomon T John, Manoj Paramahamsa and SR Kathir) have worked on the film and their work seamlessly blends into one another's.


2.5 out of 5 stars for Enai Noki Paayum Thota.

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