Neerparavai Review 

by Raven

The expectations for Neerparavai were reasonably high as it is directed by national award winning film director Seenu Ramasamy. And, producer Udhayanidhi Stalin's promotional strategy has given the right momentum to the movie just before its release. The movie has Vishnu and Sunaina in the lead roles. The movie might not engage you from the word go, but slowly, you will be drawn into the movie's plot and you would end up falling in love with the characters. The movie is set in the backdrop of sea and revolves around fishermen.

Plot

The entire plot of the movie is revealed in flashback sequences, narrated by Esther (Nandita Das). The flashback tells us about the lives of Arulappasamy (Vishnu), his parents (Ram and Saranya), younger Eshther (Sunaina) and the people around them. Arulappasamy is an alcoholic and he is never respected in the society. But, he changes for the good after the arrival of Esther in his life. They get married and when things sail smoothly, fate intervenes in their lives.

Performances

The true strength of this movie lies in the brilliant performances from every single actor. Vishnu fits in the role of a rustic youth to a T. His expressions have drastically improved and he looks very convincing in most of the scenes. Sunaina has performed out of her skins to say the least. You might be pleasantly surprised to see her performing in an intense role with such ease. Watch out for her varied expressions in ‘Meenuku' song.

Ram and Saranya as Vishnu’s parents are impressive in their roles. Nandita Das’ role looks a little weaker as she has to merely narrate the whole flashback. Samuthirakani appears for only few scenes but delivers few strong messages in his trademark style. The rest of the supporting cast including Pandi, Thambi Ramaiah and Azhagam Perumal has delivered what was required out of them.

Technicalities

N. R . Raghunanthan’s music plays a very important role in this emotional drama as it is used to convey message many a time. Among songs, all the versions of ‘Para Para’ song are soulful. 'Raththa Kaneer' and 'Yaar Veetu' tracks convey deeper meanings. His background score is exemplary and sets up the right mood for the visuals.

Cinematography by Balasubramaniem makes the movie visually poetic. Be it the mid-sea long shot or an indoor shot inside the church, each shot is composed aesthetically.

Direction – Seenu Ramasamy

While watching the movie, you might feel that making an unsophisticated movie involving just the human emotions, could be the hardest thing to do. The beauty of this film lies in its narration. Director Seenu Ramasamy has dealt with a sensitive issue about the killing of fishermen so deftly. There are few hard hitting dialogues, but they never go preachy.

There are plenty of moving scenes in the movie. For instance, the scene where the fisherman gives a fish to the doctor as a token of gratitude is so poignant. There is also ample dose of comedy in the film, which will have you in splits.  On the flip side, the movie starts off slowly and takes time for the setting up of the premise of the story. Also, one might feel that they could have axed a song or two to have made a better impact.

Bottomline

Brilliant storytelling from the director, coming-of-age performances from the lead actors, technically appealing and the movie also addresses an important national concern. These are a few good reasons why you should probably watch Neerparavai in theatres.

Rating –