Nitham Oru Vaanam
Introduction
Onto the last release of the previous weekend, and amidst a marathon turn of events I have finished watching the Tamil film Nitham Oru Vaanam that is streaming on Netflix. Now I knew absolutely nothing about the film except for the fact that it had released along with the Tamil film Love Today that went on to become a huge breakthrough hit, while Nitham Oru Vaanam slipped under the radar despite a positive word of mouth. There are perks about not knowing a thing about the film as it gives you a chance to approach the drama with a fresh mind thereby allowing the drama to surprise you and thus touch you! So then is Nitham Oru Vaanam manage to impress, lets find out!
Story & Screenplay
Nitham Oru Vaanam follows the story of a person suffering from depression until he reads about a couple of stories featuring two couples. The story here is really sweet and heartwarming and most definitely has its heart in the right place. The screenplay standing at almost 150 minutes does make for a slightly longer watch than I would have liked wherein certain portions could have been trimmed out. But there are enough emotions here to keep you invested.
The drama does open with the protagonist on a traveling spree wherein a series of flashback does give us a glimpse of who he is and the circumstances of his life wherein he undergoes a heartbreak. An interesting bit in the screenplay was the protagonist believing himself to be a central character every time he goes about reading novels or short stories. And this little aspect was nicely touched through two diabolically different stories featuring two couples.
The proceedings are engaging and engrossing although fairly predictable in its storytelling technique. The two stories do begin on a generic note but eventually end on cliffhangers which was an interesting turn for the audience as well. However, I did feel that the first of the two stories could have been trimmed a little more for a compact viewing. Having said that, the writing here is sincere and true to what it is trying to convey. The drama also does tap into aspects of self discovery as the protagonist is on a road trip to two separate destinations, in answer to the twin cliffhangers.
Although scratching at just the surface, the drama is philosophical in many ways, constantly putting forth the idea of living life to the fullest and not really worrying about the momentary sadness that may have engulfed you. And that is done beautifully through the conclusion of the two stories that acts as a great life lesson. There are moments throughout the screenplay that are heartwarming and gentle although not over dramatic in anyway which a few films are guilty of. This leads to a heartfelt final act that will put a smile on your face. So overall, the screenplay here is really well written!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational for most parts but quite well penned. The music is breezy just as the drama, the BGM is decently good as well. The cinematography is breathtaking and captures some beautiful frames during the course of the film. The editing is pretty good as well. Director RA Karthik does a spectacular job in weaving a sweet little drama that has its heart in the right place. The drama is engaging throughout which means the director has done an excellent job.
Performances
The performances are really good here. Jiiva and Eesha Rebba have heartwarming cameos in the film that will feel like a long embrace. Kaali Venkat as Prabha’s assistant is sincere. Vinsu Rachel and Sshivada are both really good in the film. Shivathmika Rajashekhar as Meenakshi has such expressive eyes and she does an incredibly good job. Aparna Balamurali as Matha is really affable and does a great job as well. Ritu Varma as Subha has a charming presence here in a job well done. Ashok Selvan as Veera/Arjun/Prabha is distinctly good in all three roles. He has different emotions to play with in each of the three roles and he comes out a winner in each of them. In other words, an excellent job done there!
Conclusion
Nitham Oru Vaanam is a beautiful drama that has its heart in the right place. Available on Netflix.