Annapoorani review: Nayanthara cooks up a charming but predictable fare
While Nayanthara excels in the role of a Brahmin girl aspiring to take on the culinary world, the film despite its tear-jerking scenes and message of equality becomes a tad predictable
With Nayanthara-starrer, Annapoorani, debutant director Nilesh Krishnaa has delivered a functional, feel-good drama that has inspiring and heart-touching moments yet is a convoluted melodrama with predictable conflicts.
Annapoorani (played by Nayanthara) is blessed with a sharp sense of taste, so much so that she can tell what’s on the plate even when blindfolded. Slowly, she gets attracted to cooking as her father Rangarajan (Achyuth Kumar) is the chief cook at the Madapalli in the Srirangam Temple and is the one who serves food/prasadam to the deity, Lord Rangan, himself.
As Annapoorani grows up, she nurtures the dream to become a celebrity chef like Anand Sundarajan (Sathyaraj) and win the ‘Best Chef’ competition for aspiring chefs. But as they hail from a Brahmin family with a vegetarian background, her father strictly tells her that she can't cook non-vegetarian food. Forget cooking, Rangarajan even considers his daughter’s presence in a kitchen where non-vegetarian food is being cooked, a sin itself.
The film spins the story of a girl from an orthodox family who overcomes hurdles and dogmas to carve her identity
Annapoorani crosses all hurdles and despite odds becomes a chef in a star hotel, but quickly loses her inborn skill. Now, she has to chase her dream with a big setback and more hurdles from her family, and on the top of it, challenges from the clichéd villain (Karthik Kumar).
What works?
The film's biggest strength is its simplicity. Krishnaa's theme is very basic, so there is no big complication to understand the crux of the script and the gamut of emotions it tries to bring together. However, the film's drawback also lies in the same simplicity as things are quite predictable and you know what is going to happen in the next scene.
Nevertheless, Nayanthara's earnest performance in the emotional scenes and the inspiring theme engage us till the climax. Also, one must appreciate the director for his research on food and religion and his attempts to connect them with human emotions. Krishnaa, through his work, also brings forth the message that all humans are equal irrespective of their birth, religion, and choice of food.
Nayanthara looks convincing as the ambitious girl from an orthodox Brahmin family, excels in emotional scenes and almost carries the entire weight of the film on her shoulders. Jai is adequate and acts as a second fiddle. But more than Jai, Sathyaraj and Achyuth Kumar score well with better-written characters, scenes, and dialogues. Karthik Kumar is a typical villain and only adds more predictability to the film.
Sathyan Sooryan's cinematography is top-notch, especially in the cooking scenes and presentation of delectable food on screen. Music by Thaman elevates the mood of the film in inspiring moments and emotional sequences. The film appears to be a little lengthy and we wish the ideal runtime was shorter by 10-20 minutes.
Overall, Annapoorani is a satisfying feel-good drama and Nayanthara’s performance makes it a watchable film.
