Diretto con eleganza, volutamente struggente, clamorosamente noioso, Enai Noki Paayum Thota forse paga il prezzo di una realizzazione travagliata, durata un paio d'anni. L'insipida storia è raccontata dal protagonista, il narratore però diviene preponderante rispetto all'attore, e la verbosità soffoca. La sceneggiatura si sforza di rendere il soggetto intrigante, appesantendolo con inutili tragedie. Strati di drammi si sovrappongono: perchè tutto quest'odio nei confronti dei personaggi? La narrazione è caotica e aggrovigliata, da un certo punto in poi ho perso interesse a sbrogliare la matassa e non vedevo l'ora che il film finisse. La storia non regge, non appassiona, è finta, eccessiva, troppe ripetizioni e troppe coincidenze. Megha Akash, l'attrice protagonista, si limita a sussurrare, uggiolare, piangere. Il personaggio è già spento di suo, e Megha contribuisce ad affossarlo.
Eppure il primo tempo mi ha in parte incantata. Dhanush è fascinoso, la sua voce carezzevole e ipnotica. La sceneggiatura, non lineare, terrorizza con anticipazioni cruente, rassicura, per poi terrorizzare di nuovo. Ma la pellicola sfugge di mano al regista, votandosi al suicidio.
TRAMA
A seguito del decesso della fidanzata, il giovane Thiru scompare, lasciando la famiglia nella disperazione. A distanza di anni, Raghu, il fratello minore, incontra Lekha, attrice esordiente. I due si innamorano. Il padre adottivo di lei, produttore cinematografico, non tollera ostacoli alla carriera della ragazza.
RECENSIONI
The Hindu:
'Gautham Menon’s film bears no signs of ageing, and whets those who have longed for Tamil cinema to deliver an emotion-heavy love story. The enigma of Gautham Menon only deepens after watching Enai Noki Paayum Thota (ENPT) - a bullet that’s taken a long time to hit its target. I find it intriguing that this person is able to thread together a feature film by extrapolating on various aspects of what is, essentially, a single love story. (...) There aren’t many filmmakers in Tamil cinema who would imagine romanticising in a life-or-death situation. But then there is Gautham Menon. The plot of ENPT has three key elements - the bond between brothers Raghu and Thiru (M Sasikumar), the love that develops between Raghu and Lekha, and Raghu’s ‘beast mode’ moments. Each one of these elements can singularly sustain a film’s narrative. Which is why it is confounding that Gautham chose to knit these elements together, and, in the process, leave the audience little space to care deeply about any one of them. (...) A casual viewer should have already been exposed to his earlier films in order to understand his style of filmmaking. In my eyes, that is a big weakness for a filmmaker. We also know Gautham’s overbearing tendency to use a voice-over to drive his film’s narrative. But ENPT is 65 per cent voiceover and 35 per cent things that are unfolding on the screen, and the film stays true to its autobiography mode from start till finish. This is irritating. (...) All this leads us to the other key element - Raghu’s bond with his elder sibling. Sasikumar’s character suffers due to a lack of writing; it remains under-developed. The plot seemed to rely on voice-over to move the narrative in the second half - where Sasikumar’s character comes to the fore - much more than anywhere else in the film. It just cannot be the case that voice-over is presented as an excuse for lazy writing. To cover up for these flaws, the film also relies heavily on Dhanush’s acting prowess, and the star is only happy to oblige. One scene in particular is a great example of his talent: as the Mumbai cops inform him of the death of a key character in a shootout, an over-the-shoulder shot captures the range of emotions on Dhanush’s face for a good two minutes. It is one of those moments that any actor would look back upon, and can be proud of. There are other standout examples of fine direction - like the picturisation of the Maruvaarthai Pesaathe song. You have to watch it to revel in it. ENPT is no stroke of genius from Gautham Menon. But the way he makes the film punch way above its weight, is a mark of one'.
Pradeep Kumar, 29.11.19
Film Companion:
'After a long time, there’s a genuine, all-out romance on screen. (...) It’s great to see Dhanush in this unapologetically urban, upper-class mode. (...) This is a screenplay in which the i’s have been dotted and the t’s have been crossed with care. And with class. (...) I wished Lekha had been played by a more experienced actor. Megha Akash certainly looks the part (and it’s fantastic that her name appears in a font that’s equal in size to Dhanush’s; her role is equally important) - but her odd-sounding dialogue delivery robs the character of some of the intensity it needs. But maybe a more experienced actor wouldn’t have captured Lekha’s helplessness so well. (...) From the lyrical title, Enai Nokki Paayum Thota has many of the GVM-isms you expect. We get the Mech. Engg. name drop. We get the loving parents. We get a cheeky nod to a detective film this director was supposed to do with Ajith. But most of all, we get the voiceovers that - perhaps for the first time - feel not just like inner thoughts, but also contain fragments of information that make us anticipate things. And - perhaps for the first time - these voiceovers have a reason for being. (...) Actors like Dhanush give so much. This is a more delicate kind of acting than what Dhanush did in Asuran, because Gautham Menon flattens even the high moments - there aren’t many showy scenes. And when a huge tragedy is underplayed, you see what a great actor can still do. The camera (...) stays on Raghu’s face, and Dhanush takes us right into the mind of a man who is in disbelief, someone who is still processing this turn of events that has come about after a brief burst of happiness. He takes a long time to come to grips with the situation and the director gives him that long time. He executes a small character arc in this stretch. In fact, all through the film, Gautham Menon gives the moments a lot of time - nothing feels rushed. (...) But after the specificity of the first half, the action-thriller portions are disappointingly generic. I wondered why the emotional beats weren’t hit harder - especially Raghu’s scenes with his brother. (...) None of the villains are memorable. They don’t have the definition Raghu and Megha have - heck, even Raghu’s parents, in their few brief scenes, seem more rounded than these interchangeable bad guys with their interchangeable badnesses. This puts a huge strain on the second half, when Dhanush gets into “beast mode”. I found my interest levels slipping even when Raghu and Megha were on screen. I wanted more of the person Sasikumar is and not just the professional he is. But even with its problems, (...) ENPT is beautifully directed (does any other filmmaker use eyelines as well as Gautham Menon does?), and the pauses and holds contribute greatly to the mood. And, after what seems like ages, it’s just nice to see a classy urban film on the big screen. And yeah, it’s nice that, after his stint in the wilderness, this filmmaker is back, too'.
Baradwaj Rangan, 29.11.19
Cinema Hindi: ** 1/2
Punto di forza: Dhanush
Punto debole: la storia e la sceneggiatura
SCHEDA DEL FILM
Cast:
* Dhanush - Raghu
* Megha Akash - Lekha
* M. Sasikumar - Thiru, fratello maggiore di Raghu
* Senthil Veeraasamy - Kuberan
* Rana Daggubati - cameo
Regia e sceneggiatura: Gautham Vasudev Menon
Colonna sonora: Darbuka Siva
Lingua: tamil
Traduzione del titolo: a bullet with my name
Anno: 2019
