Os Amigos

The Tamil remake of Rajkumar Hirani's blockbuster Hindi film '3 Idiots' based on Chetan Bhagat's 'Five Point Someone...' novel is the first of its kind in Kollywood history. Helmed by superstar director Shankar (his very first remake), a top team of technicians including Anthony, Resul Pookutty and Harris Jayaraj, and an ensemble cast that includes Illayathalapathy Vijay, Jiiva, Shrikanth, Satyaraj, Sathyan, Ileana and several others, 'Nanban' is indeed a must-watch.

Like its original version, the story points out the discrepancies in India's educational system which emphasizes cramming and good grades above knowledge and passion for one's chosen field. Told through flashbacks, the film follows Venkat (Shrikanth) and Senthil (Jiiva) as they search for their college friend who disappeared from their lives after changing them for the better. Panchavan Pariventhan (Vijay), Venkat and Senthil are engineering students who are unable to cope with the system due to their individual flaws. While Paari scores high with his love of machines and lateral thinking, his two friends have a tough time; Senthil is put under extreme pressure to graduate and help his poverty-ridden family, while Venkat has no interest in engineering, his true love being wildlife photography. It is Paari's unconventional thinking and his mantra 'All is well' that helps both of them succeed in life.

But where has Paari gone after graduation? Further details of their college life are revealed, including the trio's never-ending war with Principal Virumaandi Santhanam aka Virus (Satyaraj), an eccentric educator who is determined to make sure the three "idiots", as he calls them, don't come up in life. Also added to this colorful cast are Silencer (Sathyan), a bookish nerd; Riya (Ileana), Virus' daughter and Paari's love interest; Swetha (Anuya), Riya's elder sister; and Panneerselvam (Vijay Vasanth), a senior who loses more than just his degree to the pressures of the educational system. Also, a surprise awaits-- in the form of S. J. Suryah.

'Nanban' extracts top performances from all the lead actors. Vijay has undergone a complete makeover and shines in the humorous and emotional scenes. Jiiva, Shrikanth and Sathyan are perfect for their roles, while Satyaraj does a good job alternating from menacing villain to clown. Ileana does nothing memorable when compared to Kareena Kapoor in the original, but she is suited to the song-and-dance sequences that abound.

The film is slightly longer than warranted- Anthony could have done a sharper editing job! Manoj Paramahamsa provides the right feel as cinematographer. Harris Jayaraj has rendered some wonderful situational songs, with 'Asku Laska' (commendable lyrics by Karky!) and 'En Frienda Pola' being the picks of the album. The "Irukaanaa" number seems to have been added in to appease Vijay's fan following, and there's no harm in that! As for Shankar himself, it is best to follow his advice and "watch the film without any expectations". 99% faithful to the original, the director has crafted another memorable classic.

NANBAN: Must-watch!

A Feel Good Entertainer ... Shankar did not kill the essence of original & made this sincere remake .. Vijay did a good job by doing this normal guy next door ,without any heroism, I liked him on screen after 5 yrs. Jiva/Srikanth did their job well... Satyaraj was at his best as VIRUS.Definitely Shankar & Karki needs a special mention for their dialogues... Harris was OK as their no extra-ordinary BGM on few important scenes, the songs where nice.Apart from the hero-in everyone did justification to their roll.

Some people might cry that this movie is a scene by scene remake. According to me shankar & vijay have done justification to their job & did not spoil the essence of original. They have got the original as is to Tamil audience

I watched the Hindi version of this film 5 times, as I'm a crazy on the novel "Five Point Someone – What not to do at IIT!", and "Nanban" was an exact resemblance of "3 Idiots", with an added song.

Found very hard to got a ticket, even in the second day!! (Mentioning this as the film was released in more than 15 theaters in Chennai)

Casting and acting were superb, and none would have seen such an acting from our "Ilaya Thalabathy" Vijay, with Srikanth, Sathyan and Jeeva.

"Aska Laska" song was catchy among others. Another combination of Shankar and Harris Jeyaraj has worked out very well.

A different Shankar's film, compared to his other films with technical boons, like with Enthiran, Boys.

"Nanban" -- A good film.

Nanban.. Though its a remake of the Hindi movie 3 idiots. This movie has its unique charm. This is really gonna be a treat for all vi jay fans. Shankar has handled all the casts well and good. Its exactly a replica of the original Hindi movie.. the screenplay,acting and most of the dialogs are just translated the same. except for a few punches. Sathyaraj has tried to imitate the same as in Hindi version, and it has came out good.Music for both BGM and Songs are good. Illeana mesmerizes with her cute looks.No Mass dialogs or unwanted songs or any acts that spoils the movie.For those who haven't watched the Hindi version, its gonna be a fun filled treat.... Really a good come back for Vijay and hope he's going in the right track now.Good Job Vijay and Shankar. My Rating----> 7.5/10

There were many apprehensions when everyone heard vijay will be doing the role made famous by Amir Khan. At the end, everyone who watched the movie realized that shankar was spot on with his castings. The same goes for Jiva, Srikanth, Sathyaraj and the rest of the cast. 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.