
If there is one movie that could have done without Santhanam - and in case you are wondering, I could name a few off the top of my head - it is "Vanakkam Chennai". The first half goes without any major hiccups, before the film commits its first big mistake. The film has a light tone and lead actors are immensely likable. If they fight like immature babies, like they do in this little film called "Raja Rani", then they are jerks who do not deserve our sympathies. If you put two genial people together under one roof, no matter what their differences are, they soon start being nice to each other. Since Anjali, who has come to Chennai leaving behind her Father in London to find material for a photography competition, cannot afford a new house, she decides to stay there as well. Shiva's Ajay is the first to reach the house and wants Priya Anand's Anjali to vacate. "Vanakkam Chennai" is largely watchable but gets a tad tiring towards the end as it keeps finding ways to delay the obvious.Īfter getting duped by a real estate broker, two people find themselves with keys to the same house. The trick is to keep us invested till the end. We know that they will eventually come together and we will walk out of the theater with a hope that they will stick happily ever after. The lead characters in this Rom-com are basically like a pair of strong magnets who are placed close enough but held apart for 2 hours.

Most of the film's problems are rooted in the script.

Director Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi makes a confident debut that is brimming with visual finesse, but the writer in her isn't very assured. It lets off that distinctive template rom-com vibe and it is never not predictable. The one big issue with "Vanakkam Chennai" is how familiar it feels.
