Poovellam Un Vasam

<p>Two families stay in identical bungalows, adjacent to each other, tracing their friendship to over 40 years. Their respective progenies Chinna and Chella are childhood friends, their easy camaraderie and strong bonding carried over to their adult years. The two of them study in the same college, same class, zoom together on the motorbike, their togetherness at home and college, as accepted a fact as it was in films like (2001). Somewhere along the way, the duo falls in love, throwing some soft glances at each other when the other is not looking. Their college mate Karna, makes devious plans to separate the duo and make Chella his. He does not seem to have any running feud with Chinna, is quite friendly with the duo, and does not seem to be particularly in love with Chella. Chinna laps up all that Karna tells him about Chella loving him, and is heartbroken and goes out on a business trip. Chella, persuaded by both families to marry a NRI, boldly informs them that she loved Chinna and would marry him. The two families are happy. Chinna returns home and learns of the preparation for his engagement ceremony. Feeling that since Chella loved Karna, it must be family pressure that must have forced her to agree. Chinna then backs out. It is Chella’s turn to be indignant about Chinna’s mistrust of her love, and after giving him a piece of her mind, she backs out, with Chinna pleading for acceptance. After a period of separation, during which all ties between the two families are severed, both soon come to realise that they cannot live without their dearest friends and lovers. Chinna and Chella with their families then reunite. signed the film in early 2001 after pulling out of Praveenkanth’s . The producers initially approached and then to star, with their refusals leading to the casting of . 1999, was chosen to appear in an . Before filming began, Ajith became popular as an due to films like , and , so producer expressed his doubts to Ezhil about continuing a family-oriented film with an action hero like Ajith. But Ezhil was confident about Ajith’s capabilities in pulling off varying roles. Twin bungalows were erected in for the film by art director Prabhakaran as the director could not locate a twin bungalow in the same compound. One house was built to feature antiques and the other with modern artefacts and computers. During the making of the film, Ajith was admitted to a Chennai city hospital for a surgery of his backbone causing a month’s delay in the film’s release. The soundtrack was composed by , with lyrics by . The song “Kaadhal Vandhadhum” is set in raga. Vidyasagar reused the tune later in Telugu as “Pannendintiki Padukkonte”, for the 2002 Telugu film . was released on 17 August 2001. A critic from labelled it as “reasonably interesting”, with Ajith’s performance being praised as “natural and neat”. Visual Dasan of , playing on the film’s title, said “Poovellam Serial Vaasam” (the flowers bear the smell of ). Rajitha of wrote, “Trouble is the story/script/screenplay which, in a word, is insipid. To the point where, when the movie crescendoes with the two once-close families splitting amidst high drama, you put a polite hand up to stifle a yawn”. The success of the film prompted Ezhil, Ajith and Jyothika to team up for a venture the following year with (2002). K. N. Vijiyan of called it “strictly for Ajith and Jyothika fans”. Malini Mannath of wrote “No effort has been spared to make it a lavish production. The songs are pleasantly picturised, with Arthur Wilson’s camera capturing the richness of the sets and the colourful ambience. But what is lacking is a clear script and freshness in narration”. won the and Ajith won a . At the same ceremony, Sai won , Prabhakaran won , Kovai Sarala won and Vidyasagar won . Jyothika won the , which was given to her by Ajith at the . Ajith was nominated for the , and Jyothika for .</p>