Twelve Years Of Naan Mahaan Alla: This Karthi starrer had struck the right chord with the audience

When the music album for Naan Mahaan Alla released in 2010, it was a rage all over. Yuvan was at the peak of his career, and the Yuvan-Karthi combo had recently given their super successful album Paiyaa.

'Iragai Pole' was the talk of the town for weeks. Television channels would play its tune whenever they found an excuse. Although the underrated 'Oru Maalai Neram' did not make it to the movie, it still plays in the headphones of a small but loyal fan group. This was also one of the most celebrated collabs of Yuvan Shankar Raja and the late Na Muthukumar.

Following its monumental musical reach, Naan Mahaan Alla released with high expectations. The three-film-old Karthi, had yet to give a passable performance. People were crazy excited to see him in a fun and friendly role again, following the footsteps of Paiyaa, after playing rugged and unapologetic characters in his first two movies.

Director Suseenthiran had announced his arrival strongly in his debut film, Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu, and had left quite a strong impression. When he announced Naan Mahaan Alla with Karthi, expectations definitely soared.

The film released on August 20, 2010, and opened to an overwhelmingly positive reception. The Karthi-Kajal Agarwal pairing was celebrated for how organic and pleasant it was. Humour and romance worked exceedingly well. The second half took sharp turns and landed the male lead in a messy situation. Unaware of what he is dealing with, and left with no aid other than his presence of mind, and a powerful personality, Jeeva, played by Karthi, stands up to his opposition and walks out of the situation victoriously.

Following her major hits in Telugu, such as Magadheera, Arya 2, and Darling, Kajal's first big break in Tamil was Naan Mahaan Alla. She went on to do a number of blockbusters in both Tamil and Telugu post this film, and Naan Mahaan Alla marked the beginning of her commercial success in the Tamil industry. Her portrayal of Priya represented the higher middle class urban Tamil girl accurately, and found its way into the memories of cinephiles.

The supporting cast of the film includes Jayaprakash, Soori, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, and Neelima Rani. Vijay Sethupathi, who later went on to become an acting sensation, had made a brief appearance in this film.

Naan Mahaan Alla might have taken up the familiar romance-comedy-action formula, but it delivered what it promised. Everything about the film worked well and it was a satisfying watch for the audience.