There’s a style of theatre called ‘Theatre of the Absurd.’ Sometime in the 1950s, European playwrights wrote pieces that didn’t subscribe to logic and often had confusing dialogues. These pieces of writing were categorised under absurdist fiction, which later developed as a genre unto itself. Something similar can be said of many comedies churned out in Indian cinema. Tamil filmmaker Sundar C is an expert at largely irrational laugh-a-thons. The fun is clean so you laugh at the slapstick and practical jokes cracked at the expense of many characters in his films. These gags will eventually be telecast every other day on the telly.
Sundar’s latest offering Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru has been simultaneously released in Telugu as Something Something, the title playing on the popular song from Nuvvostanante Nenodantana sung by Siddharth. Eight years after Nuvvostanante Nenodantana, Siddharth still retains the charm to play the lover boy.
Kumar (Siddharth) is the kind of non-descript, non-charismatic nerd you wouldn’t take notice of. This nerd has an uphill task: His grandfather, father and two elder sisters have all been successful in love and he has to measure up to them. There’s a hitch though. As early as kindergarten, Kumar has been at the receiving end of girls and hates them.
Sundar’s narrative is laced with comedy from the beginning and you know nothing is to be taken seriously. So when almost every man in the IT firm just stops short of swooning over the new recruit Sanjana (Hansika), you try not to squirm. Kumar faces stiff competition from the handsome Ganesh Venkatraman and takes the help of a love guru, Premji (Brahmanandam), to woo Sanjana. Premji takes Kumar under his wings, grooms him and teaches him a thing or two about understanding women. Oh wait; aren’t we reminded of Choti Si Baat? The idea is the same, but Sundar is no Basu Chatterjee and Brahmanandam is no Ashok Kumar. What we get to see are cheesy pick-up lines being put to use and Kumar getting slapped, rightfully.
Premji’s tricks, faithfully executed by Kumar, vary from silly to atrocious. Somewhere down the line, Kumar realises he has to win his love truthfully. This wee bit of earnestness gets drowned in the comedy of errors that ensues.
Something Something oscillates between being hilarious to ridiculous, backed by good performances by Siddharth, Hansika and Brahmanandam. As a bonus, there are cameos by Samanta, Khushboo and Rana Daggubati.
SOMETHING SOMETHING
Cast: Siddharth, Hansika and Brahmanandam
Direction: Sundar C
Story line: Slapstick, contemporary mash-up of Choti Si Baat where a shy guy takes the help of a love guru to woo his girl.
Bottom line: A one-time watch if you like silly comedies.