What happens when a director is inspired by the movies of the 80s era – the era that had explored themes like love and friendship and killed them with melodramatic overdose. Well, you get Sagakkal. Director Muthukumarasamy’s Sagakkal is a retake of the long forgotten eighties with all the excess melodrama surrounding a wafer thin tale of love and friendship.

The story, you could write at the back of a bus ticket, is about a boy (with values and ambitions) falling in love with a girl. And then there is a climax that reminds you of so many other movies. The title is also symbolic of what the movie has to offer. Although it is set among a bunch of friends, it never really deals with their friendship as such. Instead, it is mostly about the love between Sanjiv and Advaita.

Not in this lifetime will there be enough of love stories. They are the elixir of a storyteller’s world. Muthukumarasamy’s fault was not in selecting a love story but in giving it wrapped in a thick coating of melodrama because he believes that will tug at your heart. Not in this time, when the generation x has redefined all the dating rules and meeting and breaking up happen in a span of just one day. So obviously, Sagakkal is out of place.

But he has a nice storyline; an aspiring young boy who resists all his temptations to fall in love because he has larger things to achieve in life, a circle of not too bad friends and their friendship, an accidental love and an ideal mother. Yes, it’s hard not to get carried away with usual stereotypes when you deal with these things. Muthukumarasamy couldn’t resist it either.

Sanjiv (from Kulir 100 degree) plays Mahi who falls hook, line and sinker for Devasena, played by Advaita. Sanjiv has his moves right and Advaita is a promising looking debutant who could dance and emote as well. But the story built around them moves at a painfully slow pace. First 10 reels of the movie waddle aimlessly and then the director decides he could introduce the story. The fact that the movie is super predictable doesn’t help the proceedings either.

Few of the comedy portions in the movie click; like the one where the lookalikes of actors get chased by the villains, and the scenes in which Vennira Aadai Moorthy desire to perform with Tamannah are also the highlights.

The movie has an amateurish look and feel. Cinematography is a letdown and songs are just about okay. Director Muthukumarasamy must tune his direction to suit to the sensibilities of the target audience. Otherwise, his product will be stuck in the middle for want of audience.

Verdict: Nobody’s friends!