“Youth” (2002) by Vincent Selva a coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama, it starred Vijay, Sandhya Khan and Yugendran in the lead roles. It is a remake of “Chiru Navvutho” (2000) Telugu movie. The film tells the story of Shiva who, after being jilted on his wedding day, moves to Chennai to reinvent himself. There, he has a meet-cute with Sandhya but his dreams are crushed when she tells him she doesn’t love him back and gets engaged to Pratap.
On his wedding day, Shiva discovers that his bride, Aruna, has absconded because she refuses to marry a mere cook. He shrugs off the news and shifts to Chennai with Aruna’s brother, Prabhu, to seek work. After rescuing a girl named Sandhya from goons one night, a kiss of gratitude from her sends him head over heels in love with her. At Sandhya’s birthday party, she announces her engagement to Pratap, and it shatters Shiva’s dreams. When Sandhya learns of Shiva's feelings, she explains that she only sees him as a friend.
Later, during an investigation, Shiva finds Aruna in a police station. After being left by her lover, she tried to commit suicide. Rather than abandoning her to die, he resolves to care for her and persuades their collective family to forgive her. Before returning home, Aruna learns that Pratap is the man who left her.
On her wedding eve, Sandhya finally understands that the person she loves is Shiva, not Pratap and she calls off the wedding. She escapes and goes to her father to confess her love. After much lying and effort, Shiva eventually exchanges dresses with Pratap and marries Sandhya, tearing his dress to show that he has traded dresses with Pratap to nullify the engagement.
“Youth” runs the risk of being overly clever and ironic with its brisk tone, but Sorrentino balances it with humour, emotion and poignant moments. Though it’s framed around a familiar love triangle, the film sets itself apart with a dynamic, compelling story and Vijay’s star performance to make his fans rejoice. Shiva’s journey from heartbreak to unexpected love is filled with unique humour, warmth, and heart.