Is Nilavukku Enmel Ennadi Kobam, actor-filmmaker Dhanush’s repayment of a 23-year-old loan?

Watch | Nilavuku Enmel Ennadi Kobam trailer: Dhanush directorial to tell the tale of a group of youngsters ‘caught between love and love failure’

Since then, over the years, we have seen many actors make their debuts with various types of films, but recently, the vacuum for young actors has been more prominent than ever. Seeing the kinds of films Malayalam cinema made for young adults made the void feel even more pronounced. Even in Tamil, there are young actors making their debuts in films that are star vehicles, albeit with a varying cubic capacity. In comparison, Hindi cinema still has the space for fluff, and young debutants to kickstart their career with candy floss romance or cheery campus stories. But there has been a major paucity for such films in Tamil. 

And the boy who made his debut with a coming-of-age film about a few school kids finding themselves, their first whiff of freedom, their first brush of love, their first burst of rebellion, and long-lasting friendships, is coming up with a film for young adults of today. Nilavukku Enmel Ennadi Kobam is Dhanush’s third directorial, and a movie that looks and feels completely in contrast to his previous films, Pa Paandi and Raayan. The film features a bunch of young actors — Pavish, Anikha Surendran, Priya Prakash Varrier, Venkatesh Menon, Ramya Ranganathan, Rabiya Khatoon, and Mathew Thomas. 

What Selvaraghavan did for Tamil cinema was to introduce a bunch of actors in Thulluvadho Ilamai, fronted by his brother Dhanush. While not everyone in the film made it big, the stage is completely different for NEEK. Even if the actors are mostly rank newcomers in cinema, it isn’t like they are technically ‘nobodies’. Pavish is a third generation entrant into the film industry after his uncles Dhanush and Selvaraghavan, and grandfather Kasthuri Raja. There is Anikha and Priya, who are already successful actors. Then there are models, dancers and social media influencers in the case of Ramya, Rabiya, and Venkatesh. And of course, there is Mathew Thomas, one of the poster boys of new-gen Malayalam actors who are finding themselves in the receiving end of quality scripts that make others envious of the Malayalam film industry. 

With such a notable star cast, what NEEK can actually do is to give Tamil cinema a wide variety of actors with varying levels of talent and expertise to carry the torch forward. While it is too early to burden them with the tag of ‘tomorrow’s Tamil cinema’, the industry is indeed in a place where it desperately needs someone to own the mantle. And in the hands of Dhanush, who has been there, and has been instrumental in shaping the careers of many pillars of today’s cinema, these actors have a mentor who knows a thing or two. 

How NEEK would fare is anybody’s guess, but it opens up an interesting set of options for Tamil cinema filmmakers. There is a new set of 20-something actors who love cinema, love acting, and get the platform of being in a Dhanush film. The tag of Dhanush would allow more than the usual eyeballs on them. Of course, they would be scrutinised even more, but then, it will allow romantic films to be made for young adults featuring young adults doing young adult things. Why have 30-somethings play young people when you have young talents who can do the same? Of course, as actors, it is their job to be convincing in roles that are above or below their ages… but you get the gist, right?

This will also pull Tamil cinema away from the gore of violence, and the grime of crime, and allow more saccharine-loaded stories to make it to the big screen. The true benchmark of any industry is the variety it gives to the audience, and developing an audience for all kinds of cinema. Take, for instance, in the sixty days between February 9 and April 11, 2024 in Malayalam cinema. They had the youthful Premalu, the grim Bramayugam, the survival dramas fronted by the young and the old guard in Manjummel Boys and The Goat Life, the stoic investigation of Anveshippin Kandethum, the nostalgia-driven Varshangalkku Sesham, and the outrageous Aavesham. Every actor had something different to do, and every film that was different found its audience, and every character was played by actors who, more often than not, played their age. 

This has been lacking for a while in Tamil cinema, and this is where NEEK has the potential to be a game changer. Of course, there are other films where young actors will be making their debuts, but again… these would be films that would either not be backed by a production house like Wunderbar Films, and not directed by someone like Dhanush. But more importantly, these might be films that don’t allow the young actors to play out their youth on the big screen. They grow up much faster, and without a choice. But now, the likes of Pavish, Anikha, Priya, Mathew, Venkatesh, Rabiya, and Ramya can retain the charm and vivaciousness of their own youth and not channelise it from memories of their past. 

Basically, Dhanush is doing what Kasthuri Raja and Selvaraghavan did in 2002. 23 years since he stumbled into the world of Tamil cinema, and went on to change the landscape of Indian cinema over the years, Dhanush is embarking on a mission to pay his dues. It is almost like, one fine day, he woke up and decided that it was time to channelise the exuberance of youth through his films and his actors. And that day is finally arriving on February 21 as Nilavukku Enmel Ennadi Kobam is going to hit screens worldwide. 

ALSO READ: Raayan movie review: Dhanush crafts an almost compelling film that needed a lot more heft

What happens after that is anybody’s guess… but one thing is certain. Unlike nature, cinema doesn’t naturally heal, but like nature, it always finds a way… always.