Oru Naal Koothu - When subtlety wins you over

A Visitor Column by Sai Shyam G 

That film-making is a complex art is a known fact. A film-maker not basking in the glory of a scene and moving on with the narrative flow even as we linger on the little spell the scene had on us is an even more difficult art. Somehow, I felt debutant director Nelson Venkatesan had perfected this art in his very first film, Oru Naal Koothu.

For today's millennial movie buffs, a scene needn't be stressed up on or be elaborated to make them understand the intensity of the proceedings. Sometimes, overdoing a scene is more harmful than not doing justice to it. Nelson had understood this pulse aptly as he comes up with genuinely surprising and adorable yet subtle moments in the film, that leave you with a smile.

For instance, when lovebirds Raj (Dinesh) and Kavya (Nivetha) are stranded on the road after bike's breakdown, there arrives a 'Wedding Reception Car' to help them. The scene doesn't become too cheesy and dramatic, but ends on a crisp and cute note. Similarly, after a tussle between them, 'Adiye Azhage' song beautifully showcases how they get back together. The director brilliantly conveys how they slowly overcome their indifferences with montage shots in the song. The pre-climax scenes involving this pair might be little hard to take in for the conservative audience, but looked completely realistic. Both Dinesh and Nivetha are fabulous in their roles and it is a delight to watch Dinesh overcome his unknown inhibitions.

RJ Susheela (Riythvika) never takes disappointments to her heart and moves on with her life, come what may. Even when she has a heartbreak during a live show, she goes on with the show with the same zeal. The disappointment is only in the eyes, but not in the voice. Brilliant acting by Riythvika to pull it off with ease, not once but twice. Ramesh Thilak complements her brilliantly with an uber cool attitude and makes no attempt to give tedious consolation messages or advices.

Lakshmi (Mia George) carries herself gracefully throughout the film, in spite of yearning to get married. She is desperate yet remains composed, a pretty difficult state of mind to be in. She raises her voice at the very end and I wish her part in the film ended right there, instead of adding more twists to her role. Justin Prabhakaran's music acts as a beautifying layer in the film, as he effortlessly elevates the film with his songs and background score.

Thank you Nelson and team for giving us a little gem of a film, which has its heart in the right place!

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