Film: "Sonna Puriyadhu"; Cast: Shiva, Vasundhara Kashyap, Mano Bala, Vatsala and Meera Krishnan; Director: Krishnan Jayaraj; Rating: **
Shiva's films guarantee entertainment, but "Sonna Puriyadhu", which revolves around Shiva, who is commitment phobic and hates the idea of marriage, fails in the effort of delivering a wholesome entertainer. What it does manage to deliver finally is not even remotely close to other films of Shiva such as "Chennai 600028" and "Thillu Mullu".
Handicapped by a weak screenplay, the movie is satirical and funny in parts, but never makes you laugh out loud like you're expected to do in a Shiva-starrer.
Shiva plays a dubbing artiste, lending voice to English films. He has an aversion towards the idea of marriage and hates being in a commitment. However, his life takes unexpected turns when his mother blackmails him to meet a girl (Anjali) of her choice. But Shiva has plans of his own to rule out the idea of marriage with Anjali.
What follows is funny occasionally, but rather juvenile in its attempt. The idea to stall the marriage of Anjali and Shiva doesn't quite go down well with the audiences, who are left with the option of either laughing for the heck of it or ignore the passe effort to entertain.
Some of the best humour comes from the scene where Shiva and his friend are seen dubbing for English films. It's hilarious and certainly becomes the perfect icing on the cake to provide some momentary laughs in the film.
What happens between Anjali and Shiva reach an end most of us would've expected midway. Had the director planned to have an alternate ending then I'm sure people would have loved the effort put in to build an unconventional premise.
The role played by Vatsala as Shiva's grandmother is delightful to watch. It's surprising how this one particular character is so modern and forward thinking, while the film struggles to stay away from certain cliches that could have been easily avoided.
Shiva did all that he could to save the film from going down the path that several comedy flicks over the years have travelled. He doesn't have a strong supporting cast that he could rely on. Vasundhara doesn't play her part with conviction, while the rest of the actors have nearly meaningless parts to essay.
Krishnan handles the film promisingly, but you don't see the urge in him to make it a memorable film. "Sonna Puriyadhu" is definitely an effort worth taking notice but it doesn't make you want to cheer for it.