Vallavan Tamil Movie

"Vallavan" was in the making for nearly two years, but there isn’t much to talk about the movie. It is Simbu's first directorial venture. He also plays the lead role. As an actor, he passes muster but as a director he is a novice in every sense.

The story has so many twists and turns that it is hard to say whether the film is exhilarating or exasperating. Simbu's playing around with a couple of girls in the

name of romance, love and friendship is the crux of the subject.

Here goes the story…

Vallavan (Simbu) falls in love with Swapna (Nayanthara) at first sight. Later, it becomes known that Swapna is a trainee lecturer in the same college where Vallavan studies and she is three years older.

Vallavan, however, persists in his pursuit of love and tries to impress Swapna appearing in different disguises, including one with ugly looks and buck teeth (as Kamal Haasan appeared in "Kalyanaraman" in 1979) and glasses. Vallavan turns into Pallan to woo her dream girl. But Swapna spurns his love after learning too late that he is younger than her and decides to marry another man.

Then comes the flashback of Vallavan's school days when his first crush was Geeta (Reema Sen). Sadistic and seductive Geeta in a school uniform drives Vallavan nuts with her love antics. Heartbroken Simbu gives her up.

Reema continues to meddle with Vallavan's life even after their affair ended. Geeta plays mischief to keep Vallavan and Swapna from coming together. Geeta kidnaps one of Vallavan's friends, Suchi (Sandhya), who is his conscience keeper and supporter. Eventually Vallavan wins over Swapna defeating Geeta's plots. "Vallavan" has shades of two Hollywood flicks – the romantic classic

"The Notebook" and the thriller "Swim fan" about obsession, betrayal and revenge with a campus backdrop.

The enjoyable scenes are "Jolly Mela" conducted by Sandhya and Santhanam and Co., the comedy by an inseparable loving couple and the flashback scenes.

Simbu's make-up with buck teeth is an idea which is downright amateurish. Booking of all the tickets by Simbu as he could see a movie with Nayanthara alone by his side and Simbu's getting beaten by the slippers which he stole for love's sake is some of the interesting items in the film.

It is illogical that that Nayanthara comes to know of the age difference between her and Simbu after their love is established and then Nayanthara publicizes it far and wide and decides to marry another man. It is Simbu who struggles to make a success of Reema's portrayal as a school girl – not her ability. But in the school uniform, she looks ghoulish. Her kicking of Simbu, asking him to help her put her shoes on, making he clean up her vomit and a few other sequences are disgusting.

Nayanthara looks gorgeous, especially in dances and does justice to her role. Love scenes are too many and too much! Sandhya acts as the only normal person in the movie.

The dialogue by Balakumaran, who appears in a cameo role of a psychiatrist, is crisp and sharp. One of the major highlights of the film is Yuvan's tangy music, "Loo-su Penne", the title number "Vallava Ennai Vellava", "Ammadi Aththadi", "Kadal Vanthurichi" (re-mix) are the interesting numbers where Simbu's touch is felt.

Priyan's camera handling makes the film colorful. On the whole, the film is not much of an exciting fare.