If you are looking for a mass entertainer, stay away from this one. Ananda Thandavam is not a typical happily-ever after romantic flick. Instead it dares to deal with the dark side of impulsive love.

What is it about : Tamanna essays the role of Madhumita,a happy go lucky teenager who eases in and out of relationship thanks to her “easy going” nature. To Madhumitha in her 20s nothing in life is serious, certainly not love. She falls for Raghupathi (Siddharth not the KIKK Siddharth though) a boy in her township and gives an impression to her parents that she is ready for marriage with him. Her parents invite Raghu and his father for dinner one day and in an almost theatric fashion convince them to wed into their family. And then comes the twist in the tale. Another boy Rishi (Radha Krishna), a NRI no less, enters Madhumitha’s life. She promptly falls for him and ditches Raghu. To make matters worse her parents accuse Raghu’s father of an illicit relationship with the maid as the reason for cancelling the marriage. After all they want a NRI as their son-in law. How a devastated Raghu comes to terms with the fall out and what twists await Madhumita’s life in the future forms the rest of the story.

What is Good:Tamanna is good as Madhumitha. She looks good, and acts decently enough as the happy go-lucky teenager who aims to breeze through life. Jeevan Shankar’s cinematography especially in the song sequences is pleasing to the eye. Rishabh/Siddarth’s dance sequences are well choreographed and as a confused teenager he has an easy demeanor in front of the camera. The rest do their job adequately. The climax is a little unconventional and refreshing.

What is bad:The pace is all wrong. The movie, especially the first half is way too slow. The second heroine’s character (an average looking Rukmini) is very poorly defined. But the most disappointing aspect has to be the poorly composed music by Prakash Kumar. One wonders what was the producer thinking when he heard the tunes. The fault also lies with the director Gandhi Krishna for accepting such an average screenplay for a movie. This is the basic reason why the film drags. At least half hour of the first half could have easily been done away with. The story and the editing too leave a lot to be desired, When Madhumaitha meets Raghu in the US and requests him to take her back in his life, there is no repentance in her character at all. This pivotal scene in the second half should have been handled more sensitively. Director Gandhi Krishna blew away many such chances.

Me Thinks:It is a bold attempt by producer Ravi Chandran to handle a subject that deals with the dark side of love. It is a made-for multiplex movie and does not have any commercial elements that summer season audiences look for.

Tailpiece: With a negligible comedy track and a tense subject to deal with the film offers the viewer no relief whatsoever. So here is the question that many would ask after seeing this flick: “where then is the joy in Ananda Thandavam!”