Un Samayal Araiyil Movie Review
Cast: Prakash Raj, Sneha, Urvashi
Direction: Prakash Raj
Production: Prakash Raj
Music: Ilaiyaraaja
If it is hard to define love, it is harder to when and how one may find true love. And what if two dejected and under-confident souls find the perfect match in each other over food? Inspired from the film industry of God’s own country, brought home by the ace multilingual, multifaceted artiste Prakash Raj, ‘Un Samayal Araiyil’ is a new recipe to Kollywood for everyone to relish.
Kalidasan (Prakash Raj) is happy single man, wedded only to his profession – archaeology. At 45, he has no intentions of leaving behind his independent life and getting married, though he is constantly persuaded by Elango who had raised Kali after the latter’s parents’ demise. Kali’s first and only undying love interest is food. No matter which place he visits when, irrespective of the situation, food forms his prime interest. Despite being a gregarious person, he denies himself the pleasure of a cell phone until his nephew Naveen (Tejus) gifts a handset to him for New Year. Gowri (Sneha), on the other hand, is a dubbing artiste, staying along with Urvasi, sharing her room with Meghna (Samyuktha). Gowri is spinster, owing to faulty horoscope in her younger days and has no close relatives. Though happy and carefree usually, it lurks in a corner in her heart that she is helplessly single and too old for a new beginning. As a new year springs with new hope, Gowri dials a number in frustration, orders for Dosa and hangs up without even stopping to verify if it were a restaurant. As it turns out, the wrongly dialled number reaches Kali, and the two get to a war of words. In an effort to soothe things out, Naveen, who is flirtatious by nature, sends an apology text message to Gowri. Meghna, from Gowri’s end, dials Kali in return, and Kali and Gowri start conversing, discussing their food interests, and bond on these lines. After a few weeks of conversation, they decide to meet. But to the two, who had not as of then divulged their age, it suddenly comes tumbling down that the other may hold him/her low. Out of this under confidence, Kali and Gowri decide to send Naveen and Meghna respectively. Now there are two men and two women, with completely misconceived opinions of identity. What this confusion eventually leads to, is all that ‘Un Samayal Araiyil’ is about.
Prakash Raj is renowned for his versatility in every role that he plays. Be it the tough archaeologist, the gentleman or the soft and innocent food freak, he fits every role he plays as Kali. After her wedding, Sneha is coming back to the silver screen with this film, and her beauty is unfazed, and so is her talent as an actress. She portrays the confusion of choosing between being single and married. Though Tejus and Samyuktha predominantly play supportive roles, their characters are vital in the film. Thambi Ramaiah as the cook, Aishwarya as Asha, Kali’s colleague and Elango play entertaining supportive roles.
Known for his signature style and touch, Prakash Raj adds his subtle touches to this recipe, in his direction. Though all scenes have been captured colourfully and in all beauty of screenplay, the story is fairly predictable after certain progress in the film. One of the biggest attractions of this film is the innovative music. Isaignani’s composition this time has his trademark touch but with mixing and appeal to the latest of latest tastes. And there’s lots of food! What does put off a bit is the unexplained small portions. But the entire movie flows in an entertaining and smooth pace, and makes for a healthy entertainer for all ages.
