Coming out of the explosive
Endhiran, Shankar plays it easy by
clerically replicating Rajkumar
Hirani's 3 idiots.
He might have translated the
screenplay and made a few
changes but it isn't as much of a
guide as Hirani's Bollywood
blockbuster is. The scenes are
shot alike. So is the editing.
Nanban pans out almost the
exact same way. Shankar isn't
awed by the premise of five
point someone. He doesn't see
untapped potential in it either.
He's awed by Rajkumar Hirani's
film 3 idiots and he doesn't want
the Tamil audience missing out
on it.
This is Rajkumar Hirani's 3 idiots
staged and presented by Shankar
in a different language with
grandeur. If you haven't seen 3
idiots, you're in for a real treat.
The tough work here is recasting
the actors. It's all see-and-do
from there. Firstly, Vijay is
miscast. We've seen this guy
fooling around, beating up
people, saying ridiculous things
that appeal in a laughable way.
To ask him to step into the shoes
of a thinking character? Was
Shankar taking it too easy? I'm
not criticizing Vijay here. He does
his job, he's funny and
charismatic. But he comes with
career baggage and it is
impossible to see him as such a
character without some kind of
transformation. Everyone else,
with the exception of Ileana
D'cruz, fit their roles and does
justice especially Sathyan.
Khan's Rancho was all-knowing
and critical of the educational
system while being
understanding of individuals
who succumb to it. Vijay's Pari
comes across as an insolent prick
trying to attract attention.
Rancho's eyes sparkled with
intelligence and were often lost
in thought but Vijay's eyes
remain impassive. That was
probably why an important
scene that had Rancho breaking
down was replaced with a
random hug.
What I like about 3 idiots/
Nanban is that there are quite a
number of different characters
from different backgrounds with
different ambitions, some fully
realized some not.
Those valuable messages
imparted by Rancho in 3 Idiots
are reduced to no more than
smart comebacks by Pari in
Nanban. Nevertheless, the
entertainment factor in Nanban
is on par with that of 3 idiots.
The base material is solid and
Shankar obediently traces it. Out
comes an uplifting entertainer
that will draw raves from viewers
of all kinds. VERDICT:SHANKAR MAGIC
