Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam or simply called NEEK is a Tamil language film written and directed by Dhanush, an acclaimed actor but has only directed three films to date. The film has Pavish Narayan, Mathew Thomas, Anikha Surendran, Priya Prakash Varrier, R. Sarathkumar, Venkatesh Menon, Rabiya Khatoon, and Ramya Ranganathan in the lead roles. It is produced by Dhanush, Kasthuri Raja and Vijayalakshmi Kasthuri under the banners of Wunderbar Films and RK Productions and the distributors is Red Giant Movies.
The film was finally released on 21 February 2025 and its runtime is 2 hours and 16 minutes. The cinematography is done by Leon Britto, music by G. V. Prakash Kumar and editing by Prasanna GK. According to the Pinkvilla, the official budget of the film is Rs.15 crore, whereas its second-day projected box office collecting is said to be around Rs.6.80 crore.
Contents
- Review
- Cast
- Critical Reviews
- Audiences Reviews
- Songs
- How to Watch The Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam Movie
Review
After having watched some of the directorial ventures of Dhanush, Nilavuku En Ennadi Kobam (NEEK) is a light comedy, modern age rom-com and is definitely more experimental than its counterparts. NEEK is a film that revolves around a basic love, loss, and moving on narrative through the prism of Gen Z. Dhanush translates the intensity of Raayan into a light, almost a vignette story that is as natural as a Youtube clip.
Fundamentally, the movie NEEK follows Prabhu (Pavish Narayan), a budding chef who is torn by emotions about his ex Nila (Anikha Surendran) and his practical new love Preethi (Priya Prakash Varrier). Even though such a thought of Dhanush is well-intentioned, to present love in the modern-day world as not idealistic, the emotional impact is too often absent in the movie. The jokes and witty one-liners are generally well-received, yet the romantic music lacks the genuineness of the intention behind the music to connect with the audiences.
Performances are a mixed bag. Anikha is inappropriately cast as an adult bride and Pavish is too dynamic to be played in the Dhanush style, which will be too dull to get excited about (although scenes between the two are sweet enough). Mathew Thomas is however a revelation of his own; his timing in comedy makes many a scene, and his bromance with Pavish has a stronger heart than this love story. Saranya Ponvannan and Aadukalam Naren are supportive parents, which come alive and are real.
The technical side of the work by Leon Brotto is capable of the job, and the functional music by GV Prakash Kumar makes the film never boring even in its darkest times. Dhanush also has the strength of being comedic but also of making things light hearted in case the scenes turn out to be comfortable or cliched.
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Nilavuku En Ennadi Kobam is not a masterpiece, but it is pleasant. It embodies the essence of the modern romance with its wit and charisma, though not with emotion. It is an easy-going, light-hearted watch among the younger audiences. It is not the best work that Dhanush has ever done, but it is another example of his flexible narration voice.
Cast
Nilavuku En Ennadi Kobam has a very interesting newcomers and veterans cast. Pavish Narayan plays Prabhu Devachandran, a confused emotional man. His vigor is evident in his performance, however, he apes too much of the Dhanush own acting grounds, indicating a potential which should be honed. Mathew Thomas plays the role of scene-stealing as the friend of Prabhu by name Rajesh. His comic timing and natural expressions give the movie life and the much-needed humor.
Anikha Surendran plays the role of the ex-girlfriend Nila. Although she lightens up the lighter scenes, she is not up to the emotional work her part requires. Priya Prakash Varrier as Preethi is convincing in her softer, but contemporary performance of the character, but does not seem to have a lot of screen time at times.
The little but unforgettable part of R. Sarathkumar appears as the overbearing patriarch of Nila, who twists his archetype without losing its grit. The fact that Aadukalam Naren and Saranya Ponvannan are the parents of Prabhu only contributes to the fun, as they portray traditional yet supportive parents and bring in the flavor of warmth, humor, and realism into their parts.
Next to this elite group of actors is a younger group of actors whose supporting roles by Venkatesh Menon, Rabiya Khatoon, Ramya Ranganathan, Siddhartha Shankar and Anbu Thasan give contextual backing. The movie has Cameo appearances by Priyanka Mohan and G.V. Prakash Kumar in upbeat song sequences that add further star power and luster to this movie.
Critical Reviews
Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam was rated 2.5 out of 5 stars by Janani K of India Today who admitted that Dhanush was a skilled director but felt that this movie is his worst in front of the camera. She has termed it a fresh take on Gen Z relationships with a sense of humor, but she has judged it as not always captivating in terms of storytelling and not revealing emotions enough to connect with it in a profound way. Though Mathew Thomas does shine among the lead actors, who are led by Pavish Narayan, other actors perform rather unevenly. Along with its imperfections, she finds that NEEK is a good watch because of its cynicism and non-condescending writing style.
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The film received 3 out of 5 stars by Sushmita Dey of Times Now who described the film as a light-hearted rom-com that interwove the themes of modern relationships. She liked the fact that Dhanush managed to stick with the lively tone, despite the fact that the emotional moments fall only at regular intervals. Dey singled out Mathew Thomas as the scene-stealer whose comic timing made the film NEEK an enjoyable and feel-good movie.
News18’s Kirubhakar Purushothaman is in agreement with other critics, giving the movie 3 out of 5 stars saying that it is a simple but cliched romantic comedy that carries the old-world writing but set in a modern world. He said that although Dhanush is a master of self-aware, comedy, the romantic side of the story is stale and stoddy. He commended Mathew Thomas on how he has put the movie on his shoulders, especially his bromantic relationship that booms above the love theme. Narrative weaknesses notwithstanding, in a review of NEEK, Purushothaman mentioned it as a fun movie to watch as a result of a few moments of genius and wit that are used by Dhanush.
M. Suganth of The Times of India rated NEEK 3 stars and called it an enjoyable lighthearted rom-com that intrigues the audience more than one might think despite not much of the movie lingering with them. He observed that the Gen Z dynamics in Dhanush directionworks well although it leaves the viewers a bit emotionally unemotional. Acting is erratic – Dhanush is reflected by his peer, Pavish Narayan, Anikha Surendran is misplaced and Mathew Thomas characteristically gives comic relief. Suganth finds NEEK a likable, though not lovable film but still confirms that Dhanush is a versatile filmmaker despite such a flawed attempt.
Audiences Reviews
The Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam film earned good criticism among viewers because it received 5.8 stars on 10 stars by 2.1k individuals on IMDB, which is not a bad rating. The movie had 805 people giving it 4 stars out of the 5 stars in Google, this is a good review of the movie by the audience.
The vast majority of users praised the colorful cinematographic work, the catchy soundtrack of G.V. Prakash Kumar, the general youthful and feel-good mood of the movie. Some said that NEEK is a refreshing take on Gen Z relationships and one of the qualities that made the show seem relatable is its playful tone, its contemporary sense of humor.
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Mathew Thomas particularly received a lot of applause, since his natural, funny timing caught the eye of many, and his character was regarded by several users as the heart of the film. Other viewers also viewed the film as a good entertainer in case the expectations were low, and casual, nice watch as compared to expecting a captivating tale.
However the vocal minority scathingly criticized NEEK due to its poor writing, stilted plot and so corny emotional sequences. Pavish Narayan, who came into the scene as a new actor, in the eyes of many, did not hit the mark and rather appeared to have borrowed excessively to the acting style of Dhanush, which appeared to them too shoved and rehearsed. It was observed that the main couple was not in any relationship, and the emotional undertones in the film failed to hit the right notes.
Even cruel critics have had the nerve to refer to the film as a cringe fest due to its superficial plot, artificial tensions, and muffled lines. However, despite the gorgeous visuals, some bright moments, and a bold idea, the end effect on these users was disillusionment, and a sense of wasted potential and a poorly narrated narrative. To conclude, NEEK is very pleasant, yet uneven, entertaining to certain individuals, boring to others.
Songs
Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam has vibrant soundtrack as it has personalized emotional beats.
The album opens with a catchy song titled Golden Sparrow, a song that was written by Arivu and performed by Sublahshini, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Dhanush, and Arivu. The song, which was released by Wunderbar Films, went viral, getting over 164 million plays on YouTube. Its combination of energetic rhythms and reflective music creates a high tune on the album.
Then there is “Kadhal Fail” a soul number by Dhanush, and also with lyrics by Ruban Ravi. The song has a gentle, reflective tone and it sails through the emotions of both love and heartache and has connected with the listeners and has gained a lot of popularity on the internet.
The third song is the light-hearted duet by Dhanush and Jonita Gandhi, called Yedi, and the lyrics are by Vivek. One of the album highlights, and easily so, the song is a shift of a romantic turn towards the playful and a breath of relief after the volume of emotion.
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The last song is the peppy song, Pulla, sang by G. V. Prakash Kumar, and the lyrics were written by Dhanush himself. It is a sunny and saucy banger that helps to wind the album up. The sum of the four songs is a little more than 14 minutes, which has created a tightly knotted musical experience of emotions with a lot of energy, romance, and introspection of life.
How to Watch The Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam Movie
Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam has had its theatrical release on 21 February 2025 and has ended its project. The movie is currently on streaming on Amazon Prime Video. By subscribing to the premium plan of the platform, viewers are able to watch it at the comfort of their respective homes.
The film can be watched via an active Amazon Prime Video subscription, and a multitude of Tamil, regional and international movies. The decision to be intermediated to the OTT platform has rendered Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam to be more accessible to those who are not restricted to theatres so that a broader viewership will have access to the film.