Director- Dhanush
Cast- Rajkiran, Revathi, Dhanush, Madonna, Prasanna, Chaya Singh
The plot centres round ‘Power’ Pandi a popular stunt choreographer of films who having retired, lived with his son. The relationship between the two, the constant misunderstanding as Pandi’s innocent acts cause embarrassment to the son and the distressed Pandi’s move to find his own calling, forms the crux of the plot.
In his debut directorial effort, Dhanush has adopted a formulaic pattern in the first half. Where the aged Pandi (Rajkiran) gets to sing and dance, fight scenes are forced in and a drunken binge where Pandi vents out his angst against son Raghava (Prasanna).
There is also a deja vu feel in the father-son interaction. With their natural performances, however, Rajkiran and Prasanna infuse a feel of realism into their roles. Pandi at a point feeling neglected takes up a job as a gym trainer, but finds himself a misfit. There is this scene where Pandi called to choreograph a stunt scene for a film, basks in the adulation and respect showered on him by his colleagues. H
ow appreciation can boost the morale of a person low on self-esteem and neglected by his near ones is brought out here. Amusing is the easy camaraderie that Pandi shares with his geeky young neighbour.
Pandi’s travails in the second half where he in a ‘soul searching’ mood as he says it, zooms away on his motorbike, has the ‘ ‘Motorcycle Diaries’ touch. There is a jerky feel when the story changes track as Pandi decides to look up his first love Thendral.
One remembers director SAC’s film from his anthology ‘Touring Talkies’ and ‘Nights At Rodanthe’. The backstory has Dhanush essaying the younger Pandi, in love with Thendral (Madonna). The setting turns rural, the love affair going through all the cliched moments.
Velraj’s camera captures the rural flavour and ambience effectively. Some of the best moments in the film are, where Pandi and Thendral meet after decades of separation. Both Rajkiran and Revathi are splendid, their instinctive handling of these delicate moments eminently watchable.
It’s a fine blend of emotion and humour as Pandi the innocent tries to resurrect the old love, Thendral pointing out to him the impracticality of it. And it is these cute moments that lift an otherwise ordinary film to a more watchable level. And it’s also in the mature handling of these situations that Dhanush reveals his potential as a director.
Comparisons are odious but inevitable. Selvaraghavan, Dhanush’s brother, had revealed a far better understanding of the medium in his debut effort ‘Kadhal Konden’. His thinking out of the box had resulted in an exciting novel experience for a viewer. Dhanush, however, seems more influenced by the commercial scenario.
A more original screenplay and lesser dependence on the formulaic pattern could be to his advantage when he crafts his next venture.
Source: The New Indian Express