Jeans is the highly anticipated movie of this season. With names like Shankar, Ashok Amritraj & Aiswariya Roy (Miss World) coupled with being touted as the most expensive Indian production ever, it is not surprising that the movie was eagerly awaited. The movie is playing in more than 20 theatres in Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas, to packed houses. The amazing thing was most of the audience came for movie wearing jeans!

Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy (Prasanth in dual role) are twins and together with their father, Nassar, live in America, running a food and catering business. The brothers are medical students. The movie opens with the arrival of Madhumitha (Aiswariya Rai) and her brother for a brain-tumour operation for her grandmother (Lakshmi) in the United States. The comedy of errors starts when Viswanathan (or Visu) tries to help them and they get confused with Ramamoorthy (or Ramu) entering the scene. This is sorted out and Lakshmi is admitted to the same university hospital where the brothers study. The hospital makes a mistake, is run down by Visu and Lakshmi is not only treated but paid some million dollars as compensation. All's well and Lakshmi and Madhu are set to return to India.

At that instant, Visu and Madhu realise that they have fallen in love. Lakshmi comes to know about it and does a sathi to ensure that Madhu doesn't fly off to India. All's well until Nassar comes to know of their feelings and opposes the union. In a flashback we learn that Nassar also has a twin brother and due to the differences between their wives, they are forced to separate after the death of (No. 1) Nassar's wife. So he comes to a conclusion that his sons should only marry sisters. End of Part 1. Lakshmi cooks up a story that Madhu actually has a twin sister who was separated at birth! They all then fly to India, where the fraud takes on a complicated and hilarious turn. Aiding this scheme is nothing-but-truth SV Sekar (who plays Aiswariya's father) and a mother who will only lie on days when there is no viratham. After discounting her devotedness to Venkedachalapathy, Sivan, Durgai, Murugan, Sooriyan and some Swamy, there aren't many days she can lie! Madhu takes on an alter character as Vaishnavi, who Ramu fall in love promptly. A comedy of errors follows, before the truth (as always) comes out.

Although the story content is quite minimal, Jeans is highly entertaining. The second part of the movie where Madhu pretends there is two of her, reminds one of (again) Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar. My conclusion is that Shankar is not a great story-teller. But he is an excellent movie-maker. The dual roles are picturised so perfectly and so naturally, that the audience see them as two different people. The effects are good without overshadowing the story-telling I was quite apprehensive about Prasanth being in the lead but Shankar has brought out the screen chemistry between them. Aiswariya Rai is a feast to the eyes, and she looks good in all the costumes (and there is plenty). Lakshmi as Aiswariya's granny IS the star of the movie. Rathika appears as younger Naasar's wife. Her acting, to say the least, is brilliant. This movie boasts of being the first with "dts" system and ARR's trademark is seen in almost every frame. He goes crazy, experimenting with the "dts" system! All the songs are good and as expected,. well-picturised. I was expecting a lot from Kannoadu kaanbathellam thalaiva (being my favourite) but Shankar chose to make a comedy of that song. The seven wonders of the world are shown in Poovukkul olinthirukkum, which incidentally, is a showcase for Aiswariya Rai. Jeans is a great family entertainer with no violence or intimate scenes. But do bear in mind that the movie is almost 3 hours long (not that you feel the length). But do ensure that you watch it in a cinema with "dts" facility.