It was yet another mundane day at office, before I received the most generous call of the year from a old friend of mine..”Have ticket for 7am Arivu’s premier show. Would you like to join?”. Even before I finished his call, I was at my Manager’s cabin asking for permission to leave by 6.His looks made me wonder if I asked an half day permission or to go by 6 in the evening. A thoughtful nod meant I was going to watch the zeroth day zeroth show of Suriya's 7-am Arivu.( Mind you first day first shows means no pride these days ;-)) I was at the theatre well before the start of the movie. The best part of Suriya’s movie is you get to see the number of girls outnumber guys and it was no different that evening. To my surprise she was there at the theatre. Yeah..”She”..I have been seeing her for sometime in my campus now and have no idea who she is. Yet another smile for which I got yet another stare!

My friend was a bit late and my entry coincided with Surya’s entry on the screen. There was a thunderous applause..papers flying..whistles blowing and I shook my leg with few other Surya fans infront of the screen and reached my seat. To make the evening more sweet “she” was there in the seat next to me.. I could not control my smile and an involuntary “Hi” greeted her. She responded surprisingly with a “Hi” which had an encrypted message”Oh no..you again” J . By the time I settled down, Surya as Bodhidharman has already started mesmerizing the crowd with his looks and acting and I was able to sense it. I have always been a big fan of Surya, for the man he is..for the way he carries himself..the way he achieved stardom.. and most importantly the effort he puts into the roles he choses to play.Surya as Bodhidharman is yet another example. The snow clad mountains, the Chinese village and the martial artists give a perfect period film looks.By the time you feel you had enough with those period looks,we are taken back to the present day where Surya as Arvind,a circus artist gets introduced.

The much anticipated “Ringa Ringa” song lives up to the expectation though one would feel it was over hyped. After a bit of romancing (should I call it romance?) the story takes shape and we realize not just heroes are born overnight..even heroines are born..Welcome Shruthi to our industry.WHAT A DEBUT! Shruthi as a scientist is likable right from the first scene. She has tried every bit to match with Surya scene to scene. Surya has somehow managed it yet again with taller-than-him heroine and you go dumbstruck watching “Mun Andhi” song.Easily the best picturised song this year. When the song is over you feel you have seen enough for the extra bucks you paid for the special show.It was just awesome.

When the Chinese villain gets introduced,you understand the complete story ..where it is heading to and after that it is just a visual treat to see how Surya and Murugadoss cast a spell on the audience with their brilliance. The film deals too much with genetics and English dialogues and when one wonder can this film do brisk business in ‘B’ and ‘C’ centers, A R Murugadoss brings his canny brilliance in adding some “Tamil” sentiment flavor to the film and the claps bring the house down when Tamil’s superiority is compared with English’s. It was quite ironic Shruthi,who has done most of her studies abroad has to deliver those dialogues. Watch the film to have a laugh at this sarcasm!

Harris Jayaraj is awesome as usual. The background score was fitting and the Chinese song was commendable.”Mun Andhi” is sure to be in our lips for sometime. SPB’s evergreen voice and the lyrics will make “Yamma Yamma” the new anthem for break-ups. Peter Hein’s stunt sequences in the climax are just breath taking. On the flip side,the film deals too much with science which can be a bane. But when we feel the story falls flat we have our Surya who lit up the whole screen with his wide smile.When words fails, his eyes do the talking and we are mesmerized. This film is yet another treat for Surya’s fans.The short man seems to grow taller in the hearts of Tamil audiences by the passing day.

“Can I have your number?” she asked me at the end of the film.”What” I quipped.” I have no problem talking to you because you admire Surya more when a beautiful girl like Shruthi is on the screen.You must be a.. ” she stopped, winked and laughed at me saying ” Havn’t seen such a Surya fan!”. The laugh lasted for eternity as we shared our numbers and bid good bye after watching one of the proudest Tamil movies you would ever watch!(Watch the movie to get a sense of the last line)

CHEERS SURYA AND MURUGADOSS!