Ninnu Vilayadu

“Ninnu Vilayadu” is a 2024 Tamil drama film directed by C. Soundarajan and produced under Raj Peacock Movies. The movie stars Dinesh Kumar, Nandana Anand, and Deepa Shankar, and is about a family's strong bond with their beloved jallikattu bull.

A simple auto driver, “Velu” (Dinesh Kumar) dreams of participating in jallikattu, which happens to be an ancient sport centered around bull taming. The family's favourite bull, Karuppan, comes out on top in a regional tournament turning them incredibly proud. Their happiness was short-lived, however, as the bull later went missing and threw them into a state of distress.

Velu and his family search for their bull desperately, but the people around them are uncaring and non-cooperative.

While Velu falls for “Keerthy” (Nandana Anand), a lady belonging to a wealthy family. There is a struggle for their relationship on her father's part as well, so Velu has one more fight to win in his life. In the midst of his family problems, unrequited love, and search for Karuppan, Velu is unaware that there is a hidden plan afoot; someone is scheming in the background so that Karuppan remains distant from him for self-serving reasons. The film follows the life of Velu as he struggles against adversity to reunite with both Karuppan and Keerthy.

With its rural environment and emotional depth, Ninnu Vilayadu aims to extract themes of love, loss, and the profound link between man and beast. The film, however, leans too much on melodrama, prolonging emotional passages too long. Velu's scenes; with his mother, sister, girlfriend, and himself when he's sitting in silence; are too frequently overstretched, straining the audience's patience to breaking point. The film is also uneven in terms of pacing, making certain moments repetitive and sluggish.

The climax is particularly muddled. Although the family is obviously fond of Karuppan, some of their actions are contrary to their claimed love for the bull. However, for those who enjoy rural dramas with deep emotional rewards, “Ninnu Vilayadu” may offer a sentimental, if imperfect, story.