Movie Name: Unakkaaga
Ellaam Unakkaaga
Stars: Karthik, Rambha,
Goundamani, Vivek, Jayaganesh
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Director: Sundhar C.
Released: October 1999
Reviewer: Sandya Krishna
Rating: 
Are you mentally prepared to set aside your thinking cap for about two hours? Are you mentally prepared to laugh at slapstick comedy no matter what happens? Are mentally prepared to see some vulgar shades of Sundar C.’s previous films including Ullaththai Allithaa, Maettukkudi, Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar and more! If you answered ‘yes,’ then, Unakkaaga Ellaam Unakkaaga is JUST FOR YOU! If you hesitated even for a minute, rent something else from the video store.
You might have read a million reviews cursing this film. But for some strange reason, I had a whale of a time watching UEU. The logic, reasoning, story, screenplay, even some of the songs, picturization - just about everything belongs in the trash! But the film has a little something few films have today! It will make you laugh till your tummy aches, if you are willing to laugh along. Director Sundar C. has managed to achieve something that few directors in tamil cinema have been able to do in all these years. He has been successful in mindless rehashes of his previous films and the masses continue to lap it up! Karthik is a spoiled rich kid, with his mother Chachu & grandfather Kaka Radhakrishnan constantly doting on him with cash and gifts. His father, Vinu Chakravarthi is worried that he has such a ‘tharu thalai’ for a son. As fate always has it, Karthik falls head over heels in love with Rambha. Goundamani, who plays Karthik’s mama, Kundalakesi, aids Karthik in the cause of declaring his love to Rambha. In the meantime, Vinu Chakravarthi meets his long-lost friend Jayaganesh and they agree on a marriage proposal for their children. Karthik, (who believes that he is being forced into an arranged marriage) does not realize that Rambha is indeed Jayaganesh’s daughter, gets his cousin Vivek and Goundamani to misbehave and create a fight during the nichayathaartham. Eventually the truth is revealed, Rambha gets furious and Karthik is forced to make amends throughout the second half.
The film is hilarious (the sOththu-la kal scene, in particular) on some occasions, but is also uncomfortably vulgar during others. Sundhar C. could have avoided some of the demeaning and vulgar dialogues (especially some scenes involving Goundamani, Karthik, Vivek and Anju). The attacks on Anju’s and Rambha’s ‘weight” are also in very poor taste. This aside, Vennilaa with music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is at the top of the song charts for the right reasons. The film lacks songs that are as catchy as those in Ullaththai Allithaa (even though the latter had plenty of songs which were copied from other albums). The cinematography and song picturization are much below today’s standards. To reiterate, read Paragraph 1 before you proceed to rent UEU!
Original Photograph (Unakkaaga Ellaam
Unakkaaga): Thanks to Cinema Express
Photograph scanned & reworked by:
Krishna