Now that Mohan Raja has proved that he can do original films, Mithran Jawahar has become the go-to guy for remaking a film. 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it,' seems to be the mantra of his filmmaking (though, who knows, he might surprise us all with a Thani Oruvan one day), and that has helped him so far. And that is the case with Meendum Oru Kadhal Kadhai, a remake the Malayalam hit Thattathin Marayathu, which is a fairly competent film as far as remakes go. In that sense, it is on even ground with Bangalore Naatkal, another remake of a Malayalam film that is popular among youngsters in the state. The story revolves around Vinodh (Walter Philips), a happy-go-lucky youngster, whose watching of Mani Ratnam's Bombay at an impressionistic age results in a fetish (of sorts) for the purdah. And his wish comes true when he stumbles into Ayesha (Isha Talwar). That encounter results in a fall — literally for the girl, and of the head-over-heels kind for Vinodh. And thus begins his dogged pursuit of the girl. But even if she does love him, will her orthodox family, headed by her authoritarian uncle Abdul Khader (Nasser), a politician, agree to the match? Given that it is pretty faithful remake, and the changes that Jawahar does are purely cosmetic (and negligible), it all depended on the cast to make Meendum Oru Kadhal Kadhai work, and they deliver. Jawahar even retains a few actors…

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