Sherali Films who produced the sleeper hit Kalavani is back with Ethan directed by L Suresh who had apprenticed under the prolific Balu Mahendra. With Vemal (he spells his name this way these days) as the helmsman of affairs on screen, debut director Suresh takes on a new plot to tell a story of a young man who does not flinch to borrow money from anyone but all the same does not believe in returning the same.

The plot of Ethan is fairly new and abstains from the ubiquitous component of Indian cinema viz Love for the most parts. Suresh should be applauded for this aspect. Vemal’s innovative methods of borrowing money and all the more novel ways of evading his lenders are jocularly and interestingly told. However, beyond a point the logorrhea of all the characters tend to get tiresome.

Suresh is responsible for story, screenplay, dialogues and direction and some of his dialogues sparkle of intelligent humor. Levity runs through the warp and weft of Ethan and few lighter moments spring a surprise on you. In trying to portray Vemal as a smart aleck, Suresh has adorned him with an additional skill of mimicking which certainly comes in handy to help him escape from his detractors and also to up the humor quotient of the film.

Although the epicenter of the film is different, its execution especially at the screen play department should have been done in a much better manner. Screenplay is not uniform and its ‘yoyo’ ness mars the flow. Ethan has its moments of brilliance but they are not homogenous. The juxtaposition of old songs for a few situations is much enjoyable and so is the caller tune of Vemal.

The first half of the film is fairly engaging but the lengthiness of the 2^nd half becomes tedious after a while. Characterization of Vemal is not consistent. He is shown as someone who is insensitive to others but in a flip of a second goes all out to help his friend’s ailing dad. Quite a few scenes, if pruned, would have resulted in a slicker end product, the prime example being the song sequence where Vemal gives a party to his friends.

Vemal does his part well but the talented young guy appears to choose similar types of roles. If care is not exercised in this sector, he has the danger of getting typecast which could prove harmful to his career. Renigunta Sanusha is apt for the role and emotes well too. Jayaprakash as Vemal’s dad delivers a dignified portrayal. The young villain looks dapper and has an uncanny resemblance to Abishek Bachchan in many frames. However at an age where villainy is marked by subtle and savvy presentations, the high decibelled screaming appears highly antediluvian which could have been done away with. Sanusha’s friend Fathima is noticeable and in the supporting role, Manobala, M S Bhaskar, Singam Puli and Mayilsamy do their best.    

Music by Taj Noor is just about satisfactory as the tracks are volatile and don’t stay with you. The contrived feel of the songs and the loud RR also work against Ethan. Suresh’s Ethan could have proved smarter had it adhered to the core premise diligently.

Verdict: Shrewd in parts!