Many new stories are popping up on the OTT platforms every week and a majority of them fail miserably either due to poor storyline or sloppy execution. In some cases, the narrative somewhat manages to uplift a film though it consists of a passable storyline. Naduvan, streaming on SonyLiv is another offering from this leading digital platform which is making steady inroads into the South with some exceptionally good films in recent times.
Story
Karthi (Bharath) and Shiva (Gokul Anand) are friends who run a tea factory in picturesque Kodaikanal. While Karthi was a workaholic, Shiva was a full-time alcoholic and it was Karthi who manages all the affairs of the factory making him busy 24×7.
The family of Karthi comprises of his wife Madhu (Aparna Vinod) and an adorable daughter Kavi (Aaradhya Sri) who goes to the school where Madhu also works as a teacher. They seem to be a happy family except for some minor skirmishes which were quite common between a couple.
An extramarital affair of Madhu turns matters worse for their family that endangers the entire tranquility prevailing till then. How Karthi faces this bitter truth about this extramarital affair of his wife is the remaining story of Naduvan.
Performances
Bharath fails to impress in mechanical like performance. The scenes involving him fail to reflect the emotional turmoil he is undergoing during latter part of the film barring few minutes during the climax.
Similar were the performances from the remaining cast who seem to be out of focus. Though Gokul Anand has shown some shades of brilliance poor writing lets him down badly as a result he too fails to make any impact.
Aruvi Bala who plays the important role of Guru was promising in parts. But his characterization was also lackadaisical and ends up without any worthy contribution to the film.
Aparna Vinod messes up everything with blank expressions and bland acting that gets onto the nerves.
Behind the scenes
While the story of any film is its heart, the screenplay and narrative are the lifelines. Unfortunately, Naduvan was devoid of both. The actor turned debutant director Sharan could not do much as the narrative slips into a predictable mode because of the poor writing.
The photography by Yuvraj was topnotch while the background score and songs composed by Dharan Kumar adds some life to the otherwise dull narrative.
Final Verdict
A one-time watch if you are comfortable with crime thrillers. But the substandard storyline and clumsy narrative rob Naduvan of the charm of being a gripping thriller. It should have been much better than what it was.
