Ethir Neechal is a jolly good fun ride, with never a dull moment. Sivakarthikeyan has arrived as the `middle-class` hero with a terrific sense of comedy timing and a style of his own.
The film works big time due to Sivakarthikeyan’s impeccable sense of comedy timing and the right comedy and emotional mix of debutant director Durai Senthilkumar. The first half is a laugh riot, while second half has a neat message with a lot of sentiments thrown in.
The story is wafer thin and it is mostly the situations, one-liners and the tempo that makes it racy at 2 hrs 9 minutes. What`s in a name? A lot especially if it is lovingly bestowed on you by your parents.
Our hero (Sivakarthikeyan) was named by his parents as Kunjithapatham after their favourite deity. The weird sounding name makes him the butt of ridicule among his classmates in school, college and finally at work. No girl wants to marry him with such a bizzare name!
On the advice of his best friend Peter (Satish) he meets an astrologer (Manobala) who specialises in giving fancy names and bringing luck with change of name! Kunjithapatham now becomes modern and stylish with a new name, Harish and his luck changes .Harish meets Geeta (Priya Anand) a school teacher and falls for her.
But soon Geeta finds out that Harish is not his real name and he lacks self confidence. She motivates him that there is nothing in a name and it is self confidence that matters in life. He joins the Chennai Marathon to prove himself and coaches under Valli (Nandita), a former national athlete. Does he succeed to swim against the tide ?
It is an out and out Sivakarthikeyan film and he is superb. He shines in comedy as well as emotional scenes. Priya Anand has nothing much to do, but is adequate for the role. Satish (Marina fame) who comes as hero`s friend is simply too good and brings the house down with his one-liners.
Dhanush and Nayanthara appear in a Kuthu number which has been well shot and is fast paced. The comedy scenes has been worked out well without indulging in cheap slapstick jokes or vulgar dialogues. Anirudh`s songs and background score are peppy and fits in with the mood. “Boomi Enna Suthudhe.." is the pick of the lot.
On the downside after a comedy riot in the first half, post interval the film becomes too serious and emotional. However If laughter is the best medicine, try out Ethir Neechal, the complete summer family entertainer.
Verdict -Paisa Vasool
