Attakathi is Reasonably Sharp 

by Bharath Vijayakumar 

For a movie whose director and lead stars are newcomers there was a considerable amount of pre release buzz for Attakathi with Studio Green taking up its distribution rights. Like a majority of debutant directors, Ranjith too takes up love as the central theme. But like his mentor Venkat Prabhu the treatment of Attakathi is sprinkled with humour which is bound to go down well with its target audience. The movie is a jolly ride never taking itself too seriously.

Plot

The film tracks the life of Dinesh in his early adulthood. All he is concerned about is love and nothing else. But he is not the forlorn Romeo who takes rejection seriously. Like Vadivelu's famous dialogue, it is 'Trisha illana Divya' for him. But when a long forgotten love resurfaces he does get a bit involved and things do start to look a bit serious only to end on a comical note.

Cast and Crew

Hero Dinesh makes an impressive debut. The story as such revolves around him and he is there in almost every frame from start to end. The role of the wastrel who boasts about himself seems tailor made for him and he utilizes the opportunity well. New girl Nandhita looks like the girl next door and is pretty. Though not too difficult a role, she does emote well. The actors who play the parents of Dinesh are top notch and take the away the cake many a time with their loudmouthed humour.Music by Santhosh Narayanan is good with almost all the songs catching your attention. Thankfully there is no duet. Cinematography by P.K.Varma realistically captures the rustic outskirts of Chennai, the insides of the government bus and arts college.

Attakathi does not have a lot of laugh aloud moments as such. It will keep a smile on your face most of the time. Since there is no major story to tell, things do get repetitive after a point but the screenplay tightens up leading to the climax. Despite a wafer thin storyline Ranjith does keep you engaged on screen and shows a lot of promise. You do get a sense that he has a certain command over the medium.

Bottomline

Though not a laugh riot Attakathi has its moments.On the lines of Chennai 28 and Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Eppadi, this is another movie that is bound to do well with the youngsters.