Endrendrum Punnagai

Plot

The movie starts with Gautham (Jiiva) as a kid, being told that women are all bad and are very selfish by his father (Nasser) because his wife had eloped on that day. They then move to Chennai, where Gautham meets Baby (Santhanam) and Sri (Vinay Rai). The trio become inseparable friends. Fifteen years later, it is shown that the trio are running an advertisement agency and Gautham has stopped speaking to his father, the reason being untold. After a heated incident at a friend's bachelor party, the three friends promise to never get married. They get an advertising offer from Sunny (T. M. Karthik) and Sunny sends Priya (Trisha Krishnan) to assist them with the ad. Sonia, (Andrea Jeremiah) an international model is assigned to act for the ad. On the day of shoot Sonia falls in love with Gautham and when the ad is finished, she bites his ear. Gautham, startled and enraged, retaliates by slapping her. Sunny scolds Gautham for his behaviour and tells Gautham that he will never work with him again, but Priya supports Gautham telling Sunny that it was Sonia's fault for behaving unprofessionally. After the shoot Gautham calls up Priya and thanks her for supporting him. While speaking to Gautham, Priya meets with an accident. He rushes her to the hospital where Priya recovers the next day. After a few days, Baby and Sri decide to get married not telling the reason for their sudden change of heart. When Gautham gets to know about it he gets furious and ends their friendship. On the same day of the marriage Gautham's father tells Priya that he had got married second time many years before for the sake of his son and that is the reason for Gautham's anger towards him. He requests Priya to take care of Gautham. Gautham and Priya get another contract with Sunny and Sonia and they leave for Switzerland for the shooting. On the day of shooting Sonia recalls everything Gautham had done and asks him to apologize for his act. He refuses to apologize because he knows it's not his fault and tells Sonia to leave, Priya then takes the role of Sonia and acts for the advertisement. During the shooting Priya and Gautham fall in love. When they come back from Switzerland, Gautham meets his friend in whom bachelor party he promised never to be in a commitment in the airport, because of his ego he introduces Priya as just a stranger whom he met in the flight. Hurt by Gautham's cheap behaviour, she leaves the airport immediately. When Gautham gets back home he goes into his father's room for the first time and notices many paintings of him being happy,a wish his father wanted. Gautham then discovers that his father was ill and rushes him to the hospital, where the doctors say that his father is suffering from pancreatic cancer and cannot be treated. Gautham is heartbroken and starts weeping. Sri comes to meet Gautham and tells him that he knew that his father was suffering from this disease, Baby then comes and tells that his father was the one who compelled them to get married so that Gautham might change his mind and get married too and be happy. As the three friends reconcile, Priya comes to the hospital to meet Gautham's father, where Gautham apologizes and admits to Priya that he has fallen for her. The film ends a happy ending Gautham and Priya getting engaged in front of Gautham's recovering dad at the hospital.

Cast

Production

In 2011, it was reported that Jiiva will collaborate with Vaamanan director Ahmed. Lisa Hayden who had been approached for a role in this flick was no longer doing that role due to date clashes. Andrea Jeremiah took up the role.

Soundtrack

Music was composed by Harris Jayaraj scoring for a Jiiva film for the third time after Ko and Nanban. The soundtrack album consist of 6 tracks. Harris Jayaraj and the director headed to Turkey for composing sessions. 2 songs for the film were recorded by early May 2012. A single track from the album titled "Vaan Engum Nee Minna" was released on 18 October. The album was released by Kamal Hassan on 24 October 2013 and within 24 hours of its release on the net, topped the iTunes India Charts. The soundtrack was met with positive reviews from critics, who claimed the album to be 'pleasant' with 'catchy songs that are sure to win hearts'.

Release

The satellite rights of the film were secured by Zee Thamizh. The film was given a "U/A" certificate by the Indian Censor Board. The film released in 750 screens worldwide on 20 December 2013 along with Biriyani and the Hindi film Dhoom 3.

Critical reception

The film received positive reviews from critics. Sify wrote, "It's a feel – good breezy entertainer and it's got its heart in the right place. The film works big time due to director Ahmed’s well- written script which encompass friendship, romance and an emotional father-son angle which has been handled sensitively". Behindwoods gave 3.25 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Ahmed's Endrendrum Punnagai is an extremely good looking film with beautiful people leading colorful and aspirational lifestyles. As an added bonus, the film also gifts you with moments that are genuinely likeable". The Hindu wrote, "The first half is largely fun and jokes and the film gently breezes along, thanks to the bonding and chemistry between the guys. The problem with Endrendrum Punnagai is that it takes itself a tad too seriously instead of living up to the title and keeping it light. There’s just too much drama...clichés employed to infuse drama into the sluggish second half that is further burdened with songs". Deccan Herald wrote, "Endrendrum Punnagai is no great shakes as ensemble entertainer. It does have its moments. Beginning on a breezy note, it peters out into a languid tale in the latter half. With a plot as predictable as chicory coffee, especially after friction among friends Endrendrum Punnagai does not turn out everlasting happiness as its title suggests". Indiaglitz gave 3 out of 5 and wrote, "With a story behind everyone in the background and a lot of fun uniting the jigsaw pieces in the foreground, covering up all the sorrow as though it is a hassle-free life, the film is a different outlook on love and friendship. Endrendrum Punnagai, as aptly titled, is a story that urges to unlock the happiness behind our ego, and a film worth investing your time on". Hindustan Times gave 1.5 stars and wrote, "Endrendrum Punnagai is predictable piece of a movie where we know what would happen when Trisha Krishnan’s Priya walks into the lives of the three men as a project consultant for an ad film being made by them. It is bad enough that much of Tamil cinema is clocked in clichés and crassness. What is worse is that it continues to handle actors with immense potential with utter callousness". Cinemalead rated Endrendrum Punnagai with 3.5 rating and wrote "Ahmed has put his efforts into Endrendrum Punnagai to make it a fresh film to watch. The concept of blending friendship, love and ego has worked here. Rom-coms are always fun and this one is no less. "