Naan Sirithal is a comedy drama written and directed by debutant Raana and produced by Sundar C under the banner Avni Cinemas. The film has Hiphop Tamizha Adhi and Iswarya Menon in the lead roles while KS Ravikumar plays the antagonist. Badava Gopi, 'Eruma Saani' Vijay, Sujatha, Munishkanth, Shah Ra and others play crucial supporting roles.
Naan Sirithal is the feature film version of Raana's own short film Kekka Bekka Kekka Bekka. Hiphop Tamizha Adhi plays the role of Gandhi, and true to his name, he is a non-violent person. He develops a unique trait of laughing whenever he gets nervous or feels sad, and that turns his life upside down. How he manages to come out of these issues forms the rest of the film.
This is Adhi's third film as the lead and this is by far his most ambitious film. For most of its runtime, it doesn't take itself seriously and that should have worked in its favour but there is a sense of repetitiveness at the back of your head. The initial moments where Gandhi's condition is explained makes the director's intent clear - he wants to entertain you and just that.
Usually Hiphop Tamizha's films have energetic songs that engage you and entertains at the same time. In Naan Sirithal, it ends up interrupting the flow heavily. This is because the film is one of a kind that doesn't need songs. A lot of other elements too seemed unnecessary.
The film has a lot of typical elements that you'll see in a Hiphop Tamizha film. There is a sequence involving Hindi imposition inside a corporate office which looked needless and force-fitted. You have the hero stalking the heroine in an engineering college and there is a Hiphop Tamizha song for each situation like love, breakup, patching up, and more. Ideally, Naan Sirithal should have been a short film, and if it had stayed as one, it would have been a crisp entertainer.
The film banks only on the unique condition of Gandhi, which works till the beginning of the second half. Barring the hilarious comedy punches by the supporting cast, headed by a terrific Badava Gopi and Munishkanth, the proceedings become predictable and repetitive. Yogi Babu's introduction towards the climax also spices things up a little bit, but doesn't offer you anything more than a few rib tickling moments. Iswarya Menon as Ankitha is present throughout the film, but she doesn't offer much since her character doesn't have much scope.
The magic of Hiphop Tamizha that we saw in Meesaya Murukku, and Natpe Thunai to an extent is missing in Naan Sirithal, both in terms of energy and freshness. Hiphop Tamizha's background score is passable and the visuals look inconsistent in terms of lighting.
With nothing new to offer in terms of technicality and the story turning predictable after a point, the only salvation is the comedy of errors that happens in the first half and a few comedic sequences here and there.