Naangellam Edagoodam Review: The Forgotten Game

Naangellam Edagoodam opens to an aerial shot of Thiruvottiyur, the popular North Madras suburb. A narrator explains that Vada Chennai residents are ardent boxing lovers. That the boxers don’t wear gloves when they fight. They just cover their fists with black bands. Because they like to keep it raw. Also, that winners of boxing contests become the area dons.

Naangellam Edagoodam starts like the North Madras version of Badri and M Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi. But it free-falls right after.

Like Moodar Koodam, where everyone and his dog (a Great Dane if you’re wondering) had a backstory, every character in Naangellam Edagoodam has one. In rapid succession, the tiring backstories follow one after the other.

*****

Maari (Manoj Devadas), the hero introduces himself by dancing to a kuthu number. After an excruciating four-minute song, he teases his obese friend. Who is eating all the time. Because he is fat.

Then,  Maari tries writing poems about the moon, because he falls in love with Maha (Veena Nair). He cracks jokes, before suddenly realising he is a boxer.  Then he goes to his master and gets beaten up soundly.  He then expresses his undying love for said master.

Then,  Maari tries romance again. He cracks jokes, before suddenly realising he is a boxer.  Then he goes to his master and gets beaten up soundly.  He then expresses his undying love for said master.

Rinse. Repeat.

The whole routine makes me feel like I am watching TV with a restless person switching channels all the time. Romance. Comedy. Action. Back to Romance.

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Then suddenly, realisation dawns upon me. This film is supposed to about boxing. What is the number for sports channel, again?

One should’ve paid closer attention to the title. It did say Naangellam Edagoodam.

*****

The Naangellam Edagoodam review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have an advertising relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.