Kandukondain Kandukondain

Plot synopsis:
Kandukondain Kandukondain opens with army commando Major Bala (Mammootty) fighting in a war and losing his left leg in a grenade explosion. After the opening credits, Sowmya (Tabu) and Meenakshi "Meenu" (Aishwarya Rai) are shown as the adult daughters of Pathma (Srividya) living in a Chettiar mansion in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu with their maternal grandfather Chandrasekhar (Unnikrishnan Namboothiri), maidservant Chellatha (S. N. Lakshmi) and younger sister Kamala (Shamili). Sowmya is a school principal while Meenu is passionate about classic Tamil poetry, music and dance. Major Bala, one of the rich men in their village falls in love with Meenu, but Meenu falls in love with Srikanth (Abbas). Manohar (Ajith Kumar) is a director who comes to Meenu's house for a film shoot. Sowmya and Manohar fall for each other but an issue crops up between the two and whether Manohar manages to win her back forms the rest of their part of the story.
Chandrasekhar, on his deathbed, tries to say something about the will which was written by him and kept in a box, a long time ago. No one understands him. After his death, their lawyer breaks open the box and found out that he had bequeathed all his property to his younger son Swaminathan (Nizhagal Ravi), remembering the fact that his elder daughter Pathma had eloped and married without his knowledge. Unable to bear Swaminathan's wife's arrogant behaviour upon inheriting the mansion, Sowmya and her family move to Chennai.
In Chennai, Sowmya finds a respectable job in a software company while Meenu becomes a playback singer with the help of Major Bala. Meanwhile, Srikanth's finance company goes bankrupt and he has to pay back his investors. A minister offers to bail out Srikanth and his company if Srikanth marries his daughter. Srikanth agrees and when Meenu finds this out by chance, she is shocked and overwhelmed at Srikanth's hypocrisy. She falls into an open manhole and gets rescued by Bala. Realising Bala's true love for her, Meenu falls in love with him.
Manohar's first movie project is in disarray and he is thrown out. He plans his own movie, a path-breaking action one with Nandhini Varma (Pooja Batra) as the heroine. Nandhini falls for Manohar's charm although not with any serious intentions. Rumours of an affair spread which hurt Sowmya deeply. The movie becomes a big commercial success. When he visits Sowmya's house in Chennai, he finds out that Sowmya is going to California. Tearful exchanges of resentment are exchanged between them as Manohar tries to convince Sowmya after some tearful drama. The movie ends with Manohar marrying Sowmya and Bala marrying Meenakshi.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Engaging characters, witty screenplay, great music.....
I came to this film with the background of having watched and thoroughly Bride & Prejudice, and having not read Austen's Sense & Sensibility.
(I did re-read P& P after watching B&P and enjoyed the contrast.) I was intrigued to see a "real" Indian movie, since Bride & Prejudice is by its own admission a blend of Bollywood and Hollywood.
When I read the reviews of I Have Found It on Amazon, I was intrigued by comments about the difference between Tamil movies such as this and Bollywood musicals.
With that and of course Aishwarya Rai to attract me to this film, I was expecting something good, and I was very much rewarded.
I have the Kino DVD which has good subtitles.
I particularly liked Major Bala--my hat's off to Mammootty for his portrayal of a man torn between love and the fear of pity.
He is the steady center-point while the rest of the characters whirl tumultuously around.
In addition to funny scenes, as when Manohar meets Sowmya, there are many funny comments (e.g., about the necessary elements of Tamil films) and visuals (e.g., the opening shot of a waterfall that seems so romantic but turns into a military scene).
Probably a lot more if you know India and its film industry.
The songs do manage to convey some of the story and not just stop the speeding train (another of Menon's comments on Tamil films), especially my favorite in which Meenu laments losing her poetry.
This is a film one can enjoy over and over..
Jane Austen's story as never told before!.
That Jane Austen's novel "Sense and Sensibility" is a terrific piece of literature goes without saying.
Ang Lee adapted Austen's story for his film of the same name.
The film won Lee accolades for his ability to portray the relationships that Austen weaves with finesse.
Seven seas across from Hollywood, Indian filmmaker "whizkid" Rajiv Menon has created a second, and an even better visual adaptation of Austen's book.
"Kandukondain Kandukondain" is simply an enthralling and enchanting adaptation of a great piece of literature.While he borrows the basic plotline from Austen's novel, Menon changes and adds to numerous portions of the story.
Setting it in contemporary, modern Indian society, Menon gives the film a more identifiable and consumable quality than Lee's version.
The principal characters of the two sisters, played by Tabu and Aishwarya Rai are a notable diversion from the conventional nature of female characters in Indian cinema.
These are strong, determined, and capable women.
Unlike the norm of female characters in many Indian films, these women do not have an obsession with love.
It is just an integral part of their life which the film focusses on.
Rajiv Menon's ability to handle the relationship between the characters of the two sisters and the men who come into their lives and leave, is highly impressive.
While Ang Lee did a commendable job in his treatment of the relationships, one could not identify or even feel for the character because the nature and society in which they were set were too distant.
In "Kandukondain Kandukondain," the characters are real.
They are one of us, we are one of them.Menon has added a lot more material to the plot in order to increase the film's saleability.
However, what sets this film as a class apart is the fact that the addition of "masala" as Indian film industry auteurs like to say it, does not interfere with the artistry of the film.
Menon uses the conventional technique of mass-hybridization and creates an amazingly entertaining, yet fulfilling, "feel-good" film.A.R. Rahman, the musical genius, adorns Menon's film with some exceptional music.
The songs are simply wonderful with Vairamuthu's lyrics drawing inspiration from the poems of Bharathi, perhaps one of the most prominent personalities in the history of Tamil literature.
Bharathi's poems also form an intricate link in the story that is used as a catalyst to build relationships.
This artistic, and poetic feel is something that not only Lee's adaptation lacked, but even the original work by Austen.The cinematography by Ravi K.
Chandran is breathtaking.
The extensive use of color stands out, but never gets too loud to be replusive.
The color combinations are very pleasant and used effectively to create meaning within every shot of the film.
The sets during songs like "Kannamoochie" seem to involve numerous characteristics of modern three dimensional abstract art.
The remaining songs are picturized on locations in 70 MM CINEMASCOPE from the rice fields and waterfalls of South India to the pyramids of Egypt and the castles of Scotland.The film boasts exceptional performances from both Tabu and Aishwarya Rai. Mammootty is the pick of the lot with his highly sensitive, and underplayed performance as Major Bala.
Ajit, Manivannan, and Srividya are very competent.
On the whole, "Kandukondain Kandukondain" is a masterpiece of Indian cinema because of its ability to wholesomely entertain with a lot of intelligence, sense, and sensibility..
Simply superb!.
When I first saw this movie, I wondered how an Indian director managed to come up with such a simple and yet lovely story.
Upon finding out that it is an adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, I was amazed at how Rajiv Menon had managed to make an English story so Indianized.Not only is the story excellent, so are the characters in the movie and the actors who play them.
Everyone played their role to perfection.
I tried hard but could not find any fault with any of them.
Music by A.R. Rahman is excellent too.Of course, my rave review for the movie will not attract everyone to watch it.
Those who like a mix of action, love, silly dances around the tree will probably be bored.
Those of you who like to have a movie bring a smile to your lips and tug at your heartstrings, go watch it.
You won't regret it!.
I think the fact that this movie has a 5.9 is really sad.
This movie is incredible.
This movie is incredible.
It is based on a great tale and is an all-out production, so it has to be great.
The fact that it features a former Miss World doesn't hurt either.
But really, this movie is awesome.
I am white, so you can't call me biased.
Everyone i know that has ever seen it has loved it.
My 10 year old sister and mother are planning to buy it.
And if you like the songs in Indian movies, this has some of the best.
I would say more, but i don't even think i need to.
Engrossing and Beautiful..
The few Bollywood films I've seen have usually thrown me for a loop - I have trouble holding on to all of the plot points when the music videos interrupt - but this one grabbed me and wouldn't let go.
When the dancing happened, the story wasn't destroyed.
The constant gorgeous visuals helped carry me through, and the actors were completely engaging.
It was great to be able to enjoy Jane Austen again, without knowing quite what would happen next.Someone must have misunderstood the system when rating this movie.
It's far better than the 6.1 it has right now.
The only trouble I noticed was that Miss World kept outshining her surroundings, and occasionally drew my attention away from the story.
No complaints, though..
Found Another Bollywood Fave.
Having watched Bride and Prejudice and being an Austen fan, I was more than curious to see how this adaptation of Sense and Sensibility would turn out.
What a treat!
This film takes the basic plot line of two sister's and their journey with love.
There is an older sister who longs for love, yet puts family above her own needs, and the younger one, who nearly misses true love because of her inability to see past her romanticized ideas.
The opening battle scenes are definitely not Austen, and neither are all the MTVized song and dance numbers.
BUT, that's what makes this movie a unique screen experience.
It's the blending of Western and Eastern ideas of a universal plot: love lost and love regained.
There is comedy, romance, even action in this one.
We are becoming definite fans of Bollywood films.
They bring a new twist to the old Hollywood musicals of yesteryear, and subtitles don't get in the way of the entertainment.
Very colorful, fun, and even enchanting..
once you get past how odd Indian films can be for Western audiences, this movie was great.
Indian movies are unlike any other movies I have ever seen--and I've seen a lot of foreign films!
I was initially surprised to see some very odd clichés--even in a drama like this reworking of Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility the actors periodically break into MTV-like music video songs!
The first couple times, this movie really surprised me--as out of no where, groups of dancers magically appeared and the main characters suddenly appeared in such diverse locales as Scotland and Egypt!
However, once I got past the oddness of this and the music, I found I actually liked the musical numbers--they were strangely endearing.But, the best thing about this story was the script.
It started off weird--with a group of Indian soldiers being ambushed while on a peace-keeping mission.
I certainly did NOT remember that when I read the book!!
Try to look past this and the singing and you will find a very vibrant script with characters you really care about and that will touch your heart.
I found myself getting quite misty-eyed near the movie's conclusion!.
excellent, but....
I liked this movie a lot - the characters were engrossing & the music wonderful.
and it's a big one, the DVD version that I saw is horribly subtitled.
The sentence structure is garbled, words are misspelled and worst of all the subtitles flash by on the screen and sometimes cannot be read even with the speed set at slow plus often times they are way behind the action on the screen.
It's really a shame because it is a contemporary & culturally interesting adaptation of Sense & Sensibilty if you can see your way clear of the subtitles.
This is actually one time I would have preferred a dubbed version.
Perhaps with the success of Bride and Prejudice someone will see fit to release this movie with the subtitles it deserves..
a must watch...don't miss it..cult classic.
what a movie.................................
a cult classic from Rajiv Menon.........what an acting by all of them.......i regard this movie to be watched by all......Rahman has been wonderful...it is one of his best works.........and the camera work by Ravi k Chandran is absolutely marvelous........the color used in this film should be appreciated.....the picturization of songs is superb..i have watched this movie about 20 times....still watching it makes my mind fresh.......all the songs in this are one of the bests of Rahman....hats off to Rajiv Menon for adapting the foreign story in a an Indian way.......as far as the acting is concerned.....it was just magnificent by all.......but it was Mammootty whose acting was just unbelievable.......its was such a true and heart felt performance by him.....kudos to Mammootty........but not take the credit away of other lead actors like Ajith,Tabu,Aishwarya Rai.......the dubbing has been superb......all the scenes in this movie are just mind blowing For eg -the climax and emotional scene of Mammootty and Aishwarya Rai.......simply SUPERB.....and also of Tabu and Ajith.....all the supporting actors did their job beautifully...........so i recommend this to be watched by all.....its once in a life time movie........
A classic in the making...!.
Kandukondaen Kandukondean....This movie is gonna linger in my mind throughout my life...as it is one of the movies which gives u the ultimate--"Feel Good" feeling..!
The main plot is an aspiring director( Ajith )could get a break in the film industry and in the other part how he maintains his love life in spite of the failures he faces in this process..The Star cast is impressive with Ajith(The reigning star in tamil cinema),Mamooty( Malayalam industry's legend),Aishwarya(Miss universe)and others...The Songs are too good that i got all the lyrics memorized..!
For the international audience,i recommend this movie for its sheer indulgence to the south Indian culture,aishwarya rai in a different format!,and of course the main plot of difficulties faced by a director in Kollywood(Chennai,India)..
A light hearted movie which wont disappoint u..check it out..!.
amazing song visualisation.
I have seen this movie over 3 times, it has got the best cinematography work for songs.Some sheer hard work has been put in by Ravi K Chandran, 'Konjum Minakalea' is an enthrawling song, it has completely different visualisation Tamil movie has even seen!
The dressing, the location, and Aishwrya looks so good in here.
I guess thats the best of her I have seen so far..!
Though the movie did not do well in the stands, there has been great effort put in by Rajiv Menon.The movie was not a buster, but I give it a 10 on 10.
Really 'found it' interesting!.
Wassn't sure what to think and first, but LOVED it in the end, and I may have cried..
At first I didn't really know what to think and I was a bit lost, but as I got used to who was who and what was going on in the story I LOVED IT!
It was a great story and the one of the ending scenes surprised me with how well the actors did.
I'm not going to lie...I cried a bit.
Jane Austen's stories are always good no matter how lose the adaptation.
I started to like it for comedic value and then ended up loving it for serious!
It is of course not trying to be just like Sense and Senseability so a few of the main story lines are out of order when it comes to the movie, but I think it worked well.
The only really odd part was that on the DVD we were watching it seemed as if every line was being dubbed over.
I'm sure that wasn't the case in reality, but it almost looked like I was watching a dubbed film at parts..
A wonderfully made film!.
The film is indeed a lovely film.
Mesmerizing, hypnotizing, and colorful!
This movie when understood, will cause you to fall in love with the cultural scenes, the culture itself, and the people.
The movie was not dubbed since some viewers tend to think.
The subtitles where excellent and easy to read.
The DVD player I have picks up everything to enjoy.
Jane Austen had nothing to do with this film, since she is born of a different cultural decent.
A wonderfully written storyline!
Aishwarya Rai, is a stunningly beautiful woman.
Whom in Bollywood is not arrogant as the folks in Hollywood.
So, we should stay tuned for her upcoming films.They should be wonderful as well.
I recommend films like Jaaneman and Umaro Jhan..
If you've never seen any Indian films, it takes some getting used to.
A scene will be going on like normal and then the characters burst into song!
I had seen Bride and Prejudice, also with Aishwarya Rai, before this, but that was made for a Western audience so it was easier to watch.I wasn't crazy about this movie, honestly.
I liked some of the scenes wit Meenakshi and Captain Bala (Marianne and Colonel Brandon) the best, actually.
And there were funny parts.
But I felt it took too long to get started (it's over 2 hours long) and then rushed everything in at the end.
I got so bored trying to re-watch it for the review that I skipped over the musical numbers.
I guess I'm just not the right audience for this..
A wonderful adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility!.
At first, I didn't understand why the movie had to be in Tamil and why the main actors and actresses voices had to be dubbed when they were obviously speaking the language.
But as long as you can get passed all that stuff, then you're in for a real treat!
The acting is superb and the twist on Jane Austen's popular novel from which the idea is taken from is very well executed and accepted.
I also enjoyed the jabs the Tamil director took at the Hindu film industry (i.e. making one of the main characters a playback singer, showcasing an popular actress who shuts down a film production because she cannot lip-sync properly, giving all the women in the film backbones, showcasing unsafe working conditions on film sets, just to mention a few).
Aishwarya Rai and Tabu are excellent as two sisters who seem unlucky in love.
Aishwarya's emotional range rivals that of Kate Winslet, who won an Oscar nomination for the same role in the English version, directed by famed director Ang Lee. And Tabu channels Emma Thompson very well!
The songs and costumes are beautiful and the film's backdrop is magnificent.
This is a definite must see!
And a gem for Kollywood!