Why you should watch Varanam Aayiram

I went to the preview show of Varanam Aayiram to review it for my paper yesterday and today i wake up to see every single paper thrashing the movie. Why? I don't know. Infact i was aw struck by the way Gautham had portrayed his characters. It was so fresh and there was so much maturity in the entire film and it had me sometimes smiling and sometimes in tears. I don't believe in reviews mainly because it's not an objective look at the movie yet... i'd like you to believe in this not-so-reviewish look at the movie and why you should watch it.

1. This one's for the girls (wink). Watch Suriya sport a 6 pack as an army officer and also oozing charm and good looks as a college goin guy. The scene of him in the train holding his guitar is utterly droolable.

2. Surya as 'Krishnan', the father. Amazing character sketch and amazing acting. This guy is every child's dream. He is the ultimate caring, open minded father who is more of a friend.

3. Surya... the son... his oozing charm and bluntness when it comes to love is adorable. The way he chases sameera reddy all the way to USA makes any girl go jelly legged. The song 'Nenjukkul' tugs at strings you never knew existed and you invariably find yourself dancing to the tunes with your dream man.

4. 'Mundhinam'. The picturization of the song is sooooooooooo romantic. What leads to the song is even better. Surya's voice in the beginning of the song "Hi Malini, I'm krishnan" hits home and the song that follows afterwards, with a 60's theme has people melting in their seats.

5. Simran. She looks extremely pretty in her 60's look with the curly haired krishnan. To tell you the truth, they both make a cute pair. And her graceful aging throughout the rest of the movie and her quiet agony when her husband dies.

6. Certain scenes. They just tear your heart apart while others glue it back together. The scene where the family takes photos of them. In every photo, Surya looks up to his father. How significant and subtle is that?

In one, Surya offers his father a pillow as his father's head rests on the stony outhouse. "I don't need it. Only one pillow. Always" , he chuckles tapping simran's lap.

There's another where Krishnan leaves his son at college and says "Your on your own now son. We're two grown men. Take care". Surya nods, waves at his retreating father and says "Bye daddy" with tears in his eyes.

7. The 'daddy' issue. This is the first time that i've seen the hero of the film address his father as 'daddy' throughout a tamil movie. It is not sappy and it is not over glorified. It simply shows the child within the son's heart who still thinks of his father the same way he did when he was a kid.

8. The understanding. When Surya gets addicted to drugs, his father doesn't disown him. He doesn't beat him up and he doesn't get angry. His wife and he hold their son down and make him sleep. They lock him up till he comes to his senses and then they let him free with one promise "go anywhere you like. but come back. i want you back".

9. Love. There is alot of love in the movie. Different kinds of love. A father's love for his son that has set him free. A husband's love for his wife that is so emotional. A girl's love for her friend's brother that lasts a decade before it works out.

10. Gautham Menon. Last but not the least, the director is as much a reason to watch it as the film itself. Gautham has proved to be a mature, level headed, emotionally intelligent director through this film. He has put everything into the film and it shows. His personal experiences seem to be part of the story but it only adds to the charm of the movie.

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