Quick Review: Neeya 2
By Rinku Gupta
Neeya 2 was a much awaited multi -starrer given the success of the original few decades ago.
The story is not a sequel but quite different from the original though the vengeance angle is common. Malar ( Raai Laxmi) a rich pannaiyar's daughter, falls in love with a middle class boy Vikram ( Jai) but due to opposition from her family they flee the town. On the way they find a thali hanging from a statue and use it to marry in a remote spot.
But that unleashes a series of tragic events since the thali was intended for the wedding of 2 snakes in love ( Varalaxmi in a brief appearance, being one of them). Malar is cursed to turn into a snake and pine forever for her lover.
Cut to the present, Malar finds that Vikram is now in another birth and had forgotten her completely and is going to marry his lady love ( Catherine Teresa). A desperate Malar then tries to make him recall her lovers previous birth and unite with him. Does she succeed?
Raai Laxmi as Malar is the mainstay of the film and carries it on her shoulders with her presence, looking beautiful in every frame. But there is not much in the story as such to keep one engaged for long. There is hardly much opposition and the solutions seem a tad contrived and quite basic. Jai seems quite disinterested in the proceedings except in the fight sequences which look credible on him.
On the up side are the quality visuals and songs picturisation by director L Suresh, especially the one shot at the falls in Kerala is breath taking. Another is Varalaxmi's dance sequence. The CG work is adequate. The production values are good and the scale of the film is lavish with good costumes and locations. But there's not much new in the story nor narration. A one time watch for the lavish scale f the camerawork, music, beautiful heroines and some good performances.
Neeya 2 was a much awaited multi -starrer given the success of the original few decades ago.
The story is not a sequel but quite different from the original though the vengeance angle is common. Malar ( Raai Laxmi) a rich pannaiyar's daughter, falls in love with a middle class boy Vikram ( Jai) but due to opposition from her family they flee the town. On the way they find a thali hanging from a statue and use it to marry in a remote spot.
But that unleashes a series of tragic events since the thali was intended for the wedding of 2 snakes in love ( Varalaxmi in a brief appearance, being one of them). Malar is cursed to turn into a snake and pine forever for her lover.
Cut to the present, Malar finds that Vikram is now in another birth and had forgotten her completely and is going to marry his lady love ( Catherine Teresa). A desperate Malar then tries to make him recall her lovers previous birth and unite with him. Does she succeed?
Raai Laxmi as Malar is the mainstay of the film and carries it on her shoulders with her presence, looking beautiful in every frame. But there is not much in the story as such to keep one engaged for long. There is hardly much opposition and the solutions seem a tad contrived and quite basic. Jai seems quite disinterested in the proceedings except in the fight sequences which look credible on him.
On the up side are the quality visuals and songs picturisation by director L Suresh, especially the one shot at the falls in Kerala is breath taking. Another is Varalaxmi's dance sequence. The CG work is adequate. The production values are good and the scale of the film is lavish with good costumes and locations. But there's not much new in the story nor narration. A one time watch for the lavish scale f the camerawork, music, beautiful heroines and some good performances.
