Kandukondain Kandukondain

Kandukondain Kandukondain

translates as "I have seen it, I have seen it"

2000

5/5 stars

Director/screenwriter Rajiv Menon adapted Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility into this lovely Tamil film.  Like the original, it tells the story of two sisters with different outlooks towards life and romance.  Sowmya (played by Tabu), is the more practical of the two and, though she loves the aspiring director Manohar (Ajith Kumar) with her whole heart, she can not abide the thought of dragging him down with her (supposed) ill luck. 

Meenakshi (Aishwarya Rai) is a dreamer, and expects life to treat her with tenderness and romance.  She falls head-over-heels in love with her first sight of the perfect-seeming Srikanth (played by Abbas), but is blind to the steady love shown to her by the older, wounded and retired Major Bala (played by Mammootty).  

The rich Indian culture of Tamil Nadu (South India) lends itself well to the classic story, and, without taking on any Western flavor, Kandukondain Kandukondain stays true to the main plot points of the original -- as well as to its spirit.

While it may not be as flashy and cinematically gorgeous as other Indian movies of that era, this is a moving, gripping, memorable film.  I think Austen fans would love it, and it would make a wonderful introduction to Indian cinema for any viewer.  

(I watched it on Simply South.)