Jiiva's "Endrendrum Punnagai" ("Everlasting Happiness") has received positive reviews from critics.
"Endrendrum Punnagai" is a romantic comedy entertainer directed by Ahmed of "Vaamanan" fame.
The film's plot: Gautam (Jiiva), Shri (Vinay) and Baby (Santhanam) are childhood friends and run an advertising agency. An incident in his childhood causes Gautham to have an aversion towards women. All three inseparable friends vow never to get married because Gautham does not believe in the concept of love. However, Gautham's attitude brings a rift between him and his friends. What happens next forms the crux of the story.
"Endrendrum Punnagai" deals with father-son relationship, friendship and love. Trisha and Andrea appear as female leads. The other cast members include Nassar, T.M.Karthik, Abhinay and Varsha Ashwathi.
The film's music is composed by Harris Jeyaraj. Its cinematography is handled by R. Madhi, while Praveen K. L. and N. B. Srikanth have done the editing work.
"Endrendrum Punnagai", which released on 20 December, is facing strong competition from Karthi's "Biriyani." It remains to be seen if both the films emerge successful or only one comes out as a big winner.
Here is the review roundup "Endrendrum Punnagai" [Also Read: "Biriyani" Review and "Thalaimuraigal" Review]
Behindwoods Review Board says, "Director Ahmed is clear in his agenda to soak his characters, and his audience, in happiness and good times. The first half is filled with humorous boys-will-be-boys moments and the second half hosts an endearing romantic segment that takes flight in a 'Before Sunrise' like montage. But he also injects the film with different emotional elements to stack up the personal challenges for his character Goutham to confront."
"Most of the film is light hearted, even during the seemingly serious situations the laughs emerge from Santhanam's shenanigans. The comedian has more hits than misses in this film and his fans will be delighted to see him in full form."
Indiaglitz says, "Forget the apparent anomalies, 'Endrendrum Punnagai' is a comic entertainer in parts. But it is not just about happiness, it is also about a lot of underlying emotions that cage smiles inside the soul. With a story behind everyone in the background and a lot of fun uniting the jigsaw pieces in the foreground, covering up all the sorrow as though it is a hassle-free life, the film is a different outlook on love and friendship. 'Endrendrum Punnagai', as aptly titled, is a story that urges to unlock the happiness behind our ego, and a film worth investing your time on"
According to Sify, "The film works to a large extent because of the inherent optimism in the plot and the sheer good-naturedness of its characters. First and foremost Jiiva-Santhanam-Vinay friendship and bonding looks real and there is perfect on-screen vibe between the trio."
"The love track of Jiiva and Trisha their initial reluctance followed by fleeting eye contacts slowly heats up, you can feel the love temperature rising. The heroines Trisha and Andrea are not mere eye candy their characters has been well etched. The father (Nassar)-son (Jiiva) emotional mine field has been shown without any melodrama."
"It's evident that the film's main motive is to give you a good time, but it's commendable that writer-director I Ahmed chose to weave a message into the story. Watch it because it's the season to be jolly, and good laughs are guaranteed."
Prashanth Reddy of Desimartini says, "Endrendrum Punnagai is a predictable, under-achieving RomCom with a very unlikable lead character."
Verdict: Feel Good Entertainer Backed by Neat Performances