Reviewer's Summary - Average
Language: Tamil
Year: 2001
Actors: Madhavan, Abbas, Reema, Vivek, Nagesh
Director: Goutham
Producer: CEE (I) TV Entertainment Ltd
Music: Harris Jeyaraj
Lyrics: Vaali-Thamaraj
Story & Screenplay: Gautham & Vipul Shah
Minnale hews to the staid Indian movie tradition of offering a love story with a few twists and hoping the audience will not get that deja vu feeling.
Within the framework of the love story, there is usually little scope for doing something novel since unimaginative Indian directors have beaten love to death over the last seven decades. But within this circumscribed framework director Goutham seems to make a valiant attempt with a slightly offbeat, if implausible, story.
Minnale also packs a fine performance by youngster Madhavan.
Rajesh (Madhavan), a young engineer and indifferent to women in his college days, is smitten with Reena (Reema) the first time he sees her amidst heavy rain and flashes of lightening.
To his great dismay, he soon learns that the object of his affection is to soon get married to Rajeev, an Indian engineer working in Seattle. But he also discovers that Reena has yet to meet Rajeev and only talked to him over the phone.
Seeing no alternative, prodded by his grandfather Suppini (played by that delightful old comedian Nagesh) and with little time left, Rajesh decides to impersonate as Rajeev to gain Reema's affections. Over a period of five days, Rajesh so inveigles himself into Reena's heart that she even asks him when he would marry her.
But Rajesh's game is up when the real Rajeev returns to India. It turns out that Rajeev is none other than Rajesh's old college bete noire Sam. Reena is also incensed with Rajesh's duplicitous behavior and wants to have nothing to do with him. Preparations for Reema's marriage to Rajeev Samuel move at a quick pace.
Reema is all right but her performance doesn't rise above the ordinary.
Besides Madhavan's solid performance, what salvages Minnale from the mediocre dustheap is fine music from Harris Jeyaraj. Memories of the songs, particularly linger long after the movie ends. Our favorites were Azhagiya Theeye, Venmathiye Venmathiye Nillu and Verenna Vendum. - Copyright SearchIndia.com.
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