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Other Critic Reviews
'Jayam Kondaan,' may not be great, but a good effort on his debut by Kannan.
By Mythily Ramachandran  2.5 Stars
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'Jeyam Kondan' is a loser all the way!
By Ayyappa Prasad  1 Stars
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2 stars "Jayam Kondan", produced by Satya Jyothi Movies, is not of one particular genre. It is a bundle of emotions - jealousy, hatred and betrayal.
- PVS    Sat, 30 Aug 2008
This is chocolate boy Vinay's second outing in Tamil after his "Unnale Unnale", which was a stupendous success. Directed by Kannan, one of Mani Ratnam's long-standing assistant directors, "Jayam Kondan", produced by Satya Jyothi Movies, is not of one particular genre. It is a bundle of emotions, jealousy, hatred and betrayal.

Kannan, a debutant, has heavily drawn on Mani Ratnam's blockbuster "Agni Nakshtram". While "Agni Nakhstram" dealt with the uneasy relationship between brothers, the offspring of two mothers of a man, in "Jayam Kondan" a brother and his step-sister is pitted against each other. The film depicts the problems faced by a young man and how he comes up trumps.

Disgusted with life in London, Arjun (Vinay) returns to Chennai with plans to set up own real estate business investing the Rs.60 lakh he had transferred to his father over a time from London. Since his father died before his return, he does not know where the money is. He has information that his father had bought a house with the money at Thirumangalam. He is also shocked when he learns that his father had another family. When he tries to sell off the property to raise the capital for his venture, he is faced with opposition from his 20-year-old step-sister Brinda (Lekha Washington). Obsessed with her ambition to do higher studies in US, she has her own plans. The issue of inheritance comes up. The house is under the occupation of the family of Annapoorani (Bhavana). In a game of one-upmanship, Arjun nearly succeeds in getting Annapoorani vacate the house. But he is thwarted in his efforts with Brinda's mother (Malavika) holding the house documents. Lekha runs unwittingly into the hands of a dada, Guna (Kishore Kumar), and takes his help to sell the house. There ensues a clash between Arjun and Guna in which Guna's wife gets killed. Vowing to avenge the killing of his wife, Guna is out to get at Arjun. As is the saying, blood is thicker than water. The siblings come together and join forces against the enemy. The rest of the story is on predictable lines, but the ending strikes a chord.

Tall Vinay stands tall in acting too. He is charming in every frame as in "Unnale Unnale". What give his role a realistic touch is his metro image. His costume is not more than a pair of jeans and a T.Shirt. So, any present day youth can easily relate to him. In a drama of emotional complexities, there comes only one fight which draws applause.

Sentiment runs high when Malavika as Vinay's step-mother,(who dies suddenly), writes a letter to Vinay pleading not to treat Lekha as his enemy though not consider her as his sister and offers to tell court that Vinay's father is not the father of Lekha to clear any legal hurdle for him to inherit the property.

Petite Bhavana looks pretty and makes most of the opportunity. The plan of Bhavana and Saranya Mohan to drive away Vinay who has been camping in Madurai to sell the house is imaginative.

Lekha Washington also plays her role with energy and intensity. A novice though she is, Lekha fits bill. Her calling Vinay "anna" (brother) in the climax underlines the emotional bonding between a brother and sister


Kishore Kumar of "Polladavan" fame carries forward his good work. His menacing looks and bearing create a constant fear that he would finish off Vinay anytime. He is projected as too big an operator for a small job. After Kishore's entry, the proceedings get revved up. The chasing of Vinay by the rowdy gang on the road is well captured.

The comedy trio Santhanam, Haneefa and Vivek drown the theatre in laughter.

Pattukottai Prabhakaran's dialogues sound natural and realistic.

"Naan Varaindu Vaitha Oviyum", "Chutri Varum Bhoomi" and "Ullasa Ulagam", set to music by Vidyasagar, are sweet. Karthik's number "Adai Mazhai Kaalam" tops the chart. Cinematographer Balasubramaniam deserve special mention for his brilliant work. Every frame is visually pleasing.

On the flip-side Malavika's funeral and Vinay's dirge are jarring.

For a debutant director, it is a good beginning. A simple story is well narrated. It is a film for both families and the youth.


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