Having tackled a college premise in his debut directorial project Ninaithale Inikkum, G N R Kumaravelan shifts gears to a different plot in Yuvan Yuvathi with Bharath and debutant Rima Kallingal. 

With a simple and an unambiguous title, the film is about Yuvan Bharath and Yuvathi Rima with Yuvan’s dad Sampath and friend Santhanam thrown in as embellishments to decorate the proceedings. Director has woven his tale around the young Indian’s American dream for a trouble free life, the conflict between a village based dad and his fashion conscious son, their communication gap and its fall out.

Undoubtedly the film’s hero is cinematographer Gopi who has painted through his lens a picturesque canvas of Seychelles and its lovely beaches. The song picturization definitely deserves a special mention as it captivates the aesthetics with panache. Gopi’s work is a bolstering aspect of YY which helps the director to narrate his story interestingly. The fun moments of YY, expectedly, belong to Santhanam who with his comic timing steals the thunder from the other cast members. Mostly the humor is situational, well woven in the script.

Sampath is as usual very comfortable in the role that is being assigned to him and dishes out the character of Sevaga Pandiyan with consummate ease. Bharath as someone from a rural background aspiring to make it big in America, has portrayed his role convincingly. Rima Kallingal who is making her debut in Tamil has a different kind of look that does not instantly please you but she comes across quite spontaneously in her character. However it is Sathyan who earns brownie points in just a small cameo as a gay.  And there is also a surprise couple in YY which if revealed would give away the suspense.

Under Vijay Anthony’s musical baton, YY is like a musical with seven tracks. Oh My Angel and Mayakka Oosi create a mellifluous impact while Kolakuthu is unwarranted and forced.

Despite the positive features, YY fails to make an impact hugely due to the epic gaffe in the climax which is the major let down for the film. The entire story collapses due to a very flippant portrayal of Sampath in climax that is completely the antithesis of his character through out the film. Kumaravelan should definitely have worked on this. The screenplay is doddering with ennui setting in quite often although the necessary buoy is being given by Santhanam and cameraman Gopi.

Yuvan Yuvathi fails to create that lasting impact due to these features that go against it. Narration does slip into dull tones and monotony on and off as Kumaravelan finds it difficult to hold the attention of his audience. In all, a film that could have worked well with its positive features, goes south due to the week screenplay, narration and the badly conceived climax.

Verdict: Could have made a bigger impact with better climax.