The hero is Rehman and the heroine is a newcomer who, to put it in plain English, can’t act for nuts. sangamamThat leaves you hoping that they might have chosen her for that role because she might be a good dancer. Well, you are relieved of the suspense very soon. I’m tempted to think she has an influential relative in the tinsel world. The movie starts with the song “Alalaganda adalukku thagappa vanakkamungo”. For those who haven’t followed the thamizh here it’s a tribute to Lord Shiva.

A very nice song which repeats in the climax in a different form. The crux of the story is a challenge between the folk troupe headed by Manivannan and the dance medhai Vijayakumar (thankfully we are spared a Vijayakumar dance performance). Debates heat up to a point where the two challenge each other as to who will raise more money at a dance performance. The central theme is good. Classical dance being an art of the elite draws fewer people but allows for expensive tickets while folk dance belongs more to the common man and cannot, by its own nature, demand high ticket prices. The climax is well made in keeping with this theme.