After watching the original (3 Idiots ), the only reason I watched Nanban (2012) was for the director - Shankar. A talented visionary who has a penchant for grandeur and extravaganza, both in the right dosage so as to make you feel great and at the same time take home a social message worth pondering.
Only this time, it seems he has missed his mark. First of all, 3 Idiots needs to be viewed as an 'entertainer' that is mostly show with little substance. As long as you keep it simple that way, there is no need for argument. It was a light-hearted comedy with good music and tolerable acting. The script, cinematography and dialog were created to suit the "formula" rather than the other way round. Nanban (2012) is a scene-by- scene remake and does not consist of any improvisation or most importantly, not an ounce of the director's personal interpretation. Although I was very skeptical of Shankar attempting a remake, I did expect him to create something more than just playing out the same scenes with different actors.
Having said all that, the actors have thankfully not done a horrible job (which most of them have so in the recent past). Vijay, Jeeva & Srikanth are not exactly as charming as Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman, but still deserve a pat on the back. The scope of the female lead is limited as usual, so no point discussing that. However, the biggest disappointment in the acting department is Sathyaraj, especially when you compare him with Boman Irani. A clichéd character who made me cringe for every single moment that he was on screen.
Its not often that Shankar fails, but he was attempting to remake a very ordinary script in the first place, so I am not surprised. I was actually hoping that the Vijay-Shankar combo would be reasonably successful, well, critically at least. Go watch this popcorn-special, its totally worth it if you are watching it on your TV/Computer while doing a random household chore.
Only this time, it seems he has missed his mark. First of all, 3 Idiots needs to be viewed as an 'entertainer' that is mostly show with little substance. As long as you keep it simple that way, there is no need for argument. It was a light-hearted comedy with good music and tolerable acting. The script, cinematography and dialog were created to suit the "formula" rather than the other way round. Nanban (2012) is a scene-by- scene remake and does not consist of any improvisation or most importantly, not an ounce of the director's personal interpretation. Although I was very skeptical of Shankar attempting a remake, I did expect him to create something more than just playing out the same scenes with different actors.
Having said all that, the actors have thankfully not done a horrible job (which most of them have so in the recent past). Vijay, Jeeva & Srikanth are not exactly as charming as Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman, but still deserve a pat on the back. The scope of the female lead is limited as usual, so no point discussing that. However, the biggest disappointment in the acting department is Sathyaraj, especially when you compare him with Boman Irani. A clichéd character who made me cringe for every single moment that he was on screen.
Its not often that Shankar fails, but he was attempting to remake a very ordinary script in the first place, so I am not surprised. I was actually hoping that the Vijay-Shankar combo would be reasonably successful, well, critically at least. Go watch this popcorn-special, its totally worth it if you are watching it on your TV/Computer while doing a random household chore.