Orange Mittai  Review - Short and Bittersweet

Bharath Vijayakumar

Bittersweet or sweetness with a little sourness is what comes to mind immediately when we think of Orange Mittai. Does the film too leave a similar taste on us? Read on to find.

Plot:

A bond develops between an Emergency medical technician (EMT) and an elderly man during a journey.

Cast:

Vijay Sethupathy is very good. Very often when an actor plays a character that is older than his real age he more often than not comes across as though he is 'performing'.This is a stark contrast to what we get in Orange Mittai. Vijay Sethupathy looks every inch the character that he is potraying on screen. A lot of sarcasm in tune with the character and that's about it.

No over the top antics anywhere. The two minute dance performance that he puts up is an absolute delight. When you have a saleable star playing such a character the others could easily go unnoticed. But Ramesh Thilak is brilliant. This could be his best performance till date. As a sincere EMT, a conscious lover, a self respecting youngster and as someone with a generous heart he is very believable.And all these variations come across quite effortlessly on screen.

Making:

Biju Viswanath has not dwelt on narrating a story. He wants the audience to experience something.The phrase 'Journey is the destination' is shown at the end.The film too is a journey and if you are expecting it to have a definite start and an end to a story you might be disappointed. The humour definitely clicks. It is the emotional moments that is a mixed bag.

Some of it is definitely heartwarming but few definitely look forced upon. The over-imposing BGM at a few places could be the reason. The film does not take sides.It touches upon the subject of the elderly being disposed off from the family set up. But the character of Vijay Sethupthy is an annoying one with full of sarcasm. We do not really know if he is left all alone because of this or he became such a person after  being confined to loneliness. The love track of Ramesh Thilak too is grounded on reality and when it does not look like it might end on a happy note we are not sure whom to blame.This aspect of the film which just shows us incidents without being judgemental is the standout feature of Orange Mittai.

The film runs just about 100 minutes. Yet the last ten or so minutes does make themovie look long. On the whole the film has its moments but somehow you feel a seamless flow is not always there.

Bottomline:

Orange Mittai is definitely a unique film with neat performances from the lead cast.

Rating: 3/5

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