Overrated

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Simply because I watched Nanban first and Vijay spoiled the 3 idiots experience for me. :(I think a Tamil remake of this movie was very much necessary and Shankar did the right thing by just doing that. Surya is probably a better choice for Amir's role, but I heard he declined it. Smart decision! :) He had no option except to go for a popular star and so 'Vijay'. I don't know who else would have fit for the role. Anyway. May be Jeeva.It would be a lengthy review if I have to list what was missing in Vijay's performance. At a high level, 'the acting' was missing. Just like any other movie he did what he could. I enjoyed (in the order)Jeeva's performance - Sathyaraj's virus act ( apt casting by Shankar) - Sathyan's comedy act (but a little bit of overacting and I couldn't see him as a bright student) - SJ Surya's cameo - Shankar's direction ( especially he didn't try to bring in new stuff that was not needed) - Harris songs

NANBAN - A Tamil remake of the Hindi version called "3 IDIOTS", which by itself was inspired by Chetan Bhagat's novel, "FIVE POINT SOMEONE". The Hindi version was brilliant. It made me laugh, cry, enjoy and think... So I was wondering if the Tamil version would have the same effect on me. But director Shankar made it entirely possible with his expertise. Ilayathalapathy Vijay plays the lead role. Well, it is definitely a huge change for him from his regular action movies. And yes, he does a splendid job, retaining the original essence in a few areas, while showcasing his originality in others. He excels in every aspect of the movie. He makes everyone believe that he is a college student ( with his well-toned physique). His transition to "Kosaksi Pasapugazh" is very smooth and enjoyable. Jiiva supports Vijay in every way possible. He makes us laugh and cry without any problems. Srikant, on the other hand, was a bit sloppy in the initial few sequences, but later adjusted to the genre. Ileana, the lead actress, looks very fragile and thin. Other than that, she gracefully sweeps across the film. Sathyan and Sathyaraj are added bonuses. Harris Jayaraj creates waves with his music. The Tamil version of "Aal Izz Well" is in many ways, even better than the Hindi version. "Aska Laska" brings out the genius in Madan Karky, the lyricist. BGM is also soulful and interceding. Kudos to the cinematographer, the editor and the sound engineers. Director Shankar has done a great job with the movie, not destroying the original Hindi flavor. This is his first remake (All others have been his own scripts). Hats off, Mr.Shankar! On the whole, "NANBAN" is one of those movies you should never miss, if you are a fan of Indian Cinema. You 'll not be disappointed with "NANBAN" even if you have watched and loved "3 IDIOTS"! I strongly recommend this flick!

Nanban:great movie:). vijay's performance is great and the credit should go to shankar for adopting a remake film to such a extent. The story basically revolves around Pari(vijay) and how he transforms the lives of his friends senthil(jiva) and venkat(srikanth) and disappears after their college graduation. The two friends along with one of their old college mate, who has his own set of intentions, set on a journey to find Pari. Ileana, sathyaraj and sathyan all have done a neat job. The dialogues by Madhan Karky really standout and is almost flawless. Harris Jeyraj music may not be liked by all, but he has done a commendable job in satisfying a majority of the audience.The bottom line is Shankar-Vijay combo has come out with this year's first blockbuster and make sure you watch it in Theaters.

Saw Nanban movie in kamala theater (known as kamala cinemas now) 11:00 Am show.Thank god the Theatre has good parking facility and had a decent parking cost of 15 bucks unlike the theaters in the malls where you are charged about 20 ~ 25 bucks per hour.Sometimes we may spend more on parking ticket rather than the movie ticket itself.The sound system in the theater is not so good.I was sitting near the wall in the front set of rows. The speakers has caused me a headache . Also the movie theaters should stop frisking people and install metal detectors or something.The movie was not such a bad one considering vijay acted in it.Pluses of the movie:- ==>Sathyaraj acted well,he had done his homework and was good as the college principal.Jeeva and Srikanth essayed the roles of Vijay's friends very well. ==>The story line was nearly water tight but not air tight. ==>It is not the typical shankar movies about corruption etc: ==>The movie I believe is a faithful reproduction of the original "3 idiots". ==>Message of the movie "asking youngsters to apply themselves in areas of their interest" instead of going down the well trodden path is laudable. ==>Not a typical hodgepodge Vijay movie :-).Minuses of the movie:- ==>There was absolutely no chemistry between the lead pair.The lead pair (Vijay , Ileane)could not show much of facial expressions.Ileane looked a little anorexic. ==>The songs did not gel well with the movie.The lyrics were not catchy. Shankar did not pay much attention to the songs in this movie which I find is quite unusual. ==> People poking fun of srivatsan(sathyan) all the time was getting too tiresome to watch.The fart related jokes was a little retarded. ==>Old wine in new bottle.The age old urban legend that, "NASA spending a large amount of money to develop a pen that would write in the conditions experienced during spaceflight",has been retold through this movie.There is no point of including that story in the movie.Story:-Sathyan calls up Vijay's friends ( Jeeva and Srikanth) and asks them to meet him lying to them that he is with their dear friend Vijay and he is waiting to meet them.Instead he shows them a presentation of his achievements in life . After not being able to meet their dear friend who in this case happens to be Vijay start looking around for their long last friend.Vijay it seems doesn't keep in touch with them after their graduation from college . During their search for Vijay , the college days when the trio spent their times together is shown . It was shown as to how Vijay was really smart and was down to earth and witty .The flashback fails to explain as to why only these two were attracted to Vijay whereas the rest of the students did not interact a lot with vijay . Sathyaraj did a commendable role as the college principal . Back in the present,when they finally thought that they had nailed their dear friend's location that they find that their friend has impersonated another person (S.J.Surya) and did college on behalf of him.Jeeva and Srikanth come to know about the marriage of Ileana and her finance.They gate crash Ileana's wedding and tell her that she not betray her feelings for Vijay and marry a "Mr no good" / "cold hearted"' person like her would be husband.When they finally catch up with Vijay they realize his noble objective of starting a school where each student can realize his/her hidden potentials.Conclusion Though nothing new has been explored in this movie it can be watched once.It has a few good scenes.