Urban romances are rare in Tamil cinema and ad-maker-turned-filmmaker Jayendra gives us not one but two such romances in Nootrenbadhu, his first film. The romances are sweet, fun affairs that manage to keep the underlying seriousness at bay but the film gets too heavy for its own good when that seriousness comes to the forefront.

A newly-rechristened Mano(Sidharth) lives life in a carefree manner, doing whatever catches his fancy and not worrying about what comes next. This catches the attention of journalist Vidya(Nithya Menen), who is first intrigued by him and then falls for him. But Mano was previously Ajay, a doctor at a hospital in San Francisco, during which time he fell in love with Renuka(Priya Anand). When Vidya reveals her feelings to him, Mano decides to leave town but Vidya isn't ready to let him go.

The film's sober start in Varanasi gives us an inkling about something serious coming later. Still Sidharth's attitude towards life and his unpredictable actions make the subsequent proceedings entertaining. The segments where he helps the poor kids and helps Mouli and Geetha(if we go by Tamil movies, the guaranteed way to succeed in life is to set up a hotel!) are cinematic but as examples of how he brightens the life of those around him because of his attitude, they work. There is also a lot of humor in his interactions with both Mouli/Geetha and Nithya that keeps us smiling.

The film's two romances are different in nature but they both work well. Sidharth's character makes Nithya's one-sided romance credible since its easy to believe that she falls for someone with such a zest for life. The growth of romantic feelings in her is charted in a believeable manner and we feel for her when Sidharth responds to her honest revelation of feelings, with silence. The Sidharth-Priya romance has cuteness(his celebration of her birthday), humor(their first meeting and his first visit to her house) and sentiments(with his mother and after the key event in his life) in the right proportion and so involves us though it is shown in fragments.

Once Sidharth's past is known fully, it makes us look at his current actions in a new light. His spontaneity, happy-go-lucky attitude and unwillingness to get close to anyone all make more sense after his past is unveiled. But more interesting is the question it raises with respect to how we see Sidharth's character. Is he a selfless man who made the ultimate sacrifice, choosing to give those who loved him an instant of sorrow rather than a lifetime of sadness? Or is he a selfish and self-centered guy who chose his own happiness over the happiness of others?

The screenplay does a good job of bringing together Sidharth's past and present. But then it needlessly stretches things out towards an ending that's a foregone conclusion. As he makes decisions on how to handle the 2 tracks, there is not much tension or suspense since we know how they are going to end and there are no surprises either. The physical manifestation of a serious concept is obviously done for that key moment in the climax when Sidharth reverses his decision but the look of the the physical form is corny and silly.

Sidharth plays his role in an easygoing manner and is charming as required. Among the 2 heroines, Nithya Menen scores initially as she carries off acting cute better than Priya Anand, who seems a bit artificial. But the latter proves her acting chops once things get serious. As the woman who doesn't know how to handle Sidharth and struggles to make him happy, she impresses. Sricharan does a good job as Sidharth's friend while Mouli and Geetha make a convincing middle-class couple who develop an attachment to Sidharth.

The film looks gorgeous visually. From locations to set design to shot composition, things have been put together with utmost care and it shows on screen. The cinematography is outstanding throughout, with some of the shots in the Rules Kedaiyadhu... song sequence being absolutely breathtaking. Sharreth has delivered a very fresh soundtrack that doesn't follow the usual template. Sandhikkaadha..., with its melodious tune and sharp beats, illustrates Sidharth's philosophy perfectly. AJ... and Nee Korinaal... are wonderful melodies and provide the perfect backdrop for moments in the Sidharth-Priya romance. Sharreth's voice makes Nyaayame... really stand out and perfectly conveys the anguish while Siru Siru... is suitably inspirational.