Popcarn, while not a terribly bad effort, is disappointing because of the people involved in its making. The movie is directed
by Nasser, who in his previous directorial outings like Avathaaram and Devadhai, has proved himself to be a director
willing to take risks and tackle new subjects. The leads are Mohanlal and Simran, two more than capable performers and accompanying
them is Vivek, who rarely misses the mark. Scoring the music is Yuvan Shankar Raja, who has had some good soundtracks recently and
is given a big chance with a movie revolving around music. But the result is a hodgepodge of weak emotions and uneven music
handled incompetently by Nasser.
Music troupes from all over the country have converged in the city for Popcarn, the music festival. One of the troupes has tracked down
Vikrama(Mohanlal), a famous fusion singer of the past who now prefers anonymity, and hopes to make him sing for them. Mega(Jyothi),
who has come down from Calcutta as part of another dance troupe, is also looking for Vikrama. Turns out she is his daughter and has
been living in Calcutta with her mother Jamuna(Simran), who is separated from Vikrama. Vikrama is happy to see her and also agrees to sing
with the troupe but Jamuna, who arrives in town to train her troupe, still harbors ill feelings from the past.
Considering that the movie has been named after a music festival and revolves around it, Nasser pays scant regard to the logistics of
such a festival. One never gets a feel for the kind of festival Popcarn(the name stands for 'Pop Carnival') is. It is supposed to involve musicians
from all over India but the grandness of the festival never comes across and the few glimpses we get of performers leave us wondering if they
are the best the country has to offer. There dont seem to be any rules governing it either as Mohanlal, a famous singer of the past, is allowed
to sing for a troupe while Jyothi is able to dance in one troupe and sing for another!
Based on Mohanlal's flashback, it is safe to say that Nasser is a lot more successful dealing with people and emotions rather than musical
aspects. Both the romance and the fight between Mohanlal and Simran are captured well. There is not a lot of oppurtunity for cuteness but
the initial closeness and the gradual increase in friction are both well portrayed. The issue that leads to their conflict of interest is strong and
both their stances are understandable. It is a relief that there are no outpourings of sentiments during their fights and the dialogs are strong
and sensible.
One's hopes that the final payoff will make up for the lacklustre proceedings until then are also dashed by the climax. Infact, the climax is
even more disappointing since both the music and the human elements fail to make an impact. Nasser doesn't seem to have worried about
continuity at all as far as the music festival is concerned. Mohanlal's song is not about the theme the troupe had decided on earlier while
Simran's troupe's dance in no way incorporates the moves or steps they were shown practising earlier. The expected sparks when
Mohanlal and Simran meet at the end are also not present and the movie peters out in an anti-climactic fashion.
Mohanlal is not given much of an oppurtunity to perform. Simran has the more meaty character and gives a great performance. Her request
to Mohanlal after knowing she is pregnant is surprising considering heroines in Tamil movies and she sizzles in her accusations at him and
his family. But the person responsible for the appearances of both Mohanlal and Simran needs to be fired. He looks more like a tantrik with
his beard and 'punk' hairstyle while the large, red bindi appears out-of-place on her face. Mega is disappointing and Simran's acting talents
dont seem to have rubbed off on her. Vivek is wasted and doesn't have a single memorable line. Yuvan Shankar Raja is the other
disappointment. None of his songs make the mark with Kaadhalaagi Kanindhadhu... being the only energetic number.
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