Tamil Padam 2 - Quite long but intermittent laughs ensure a safe landing!!!

Bharath Vijayakumar

When Tamil Padam released in 2010, it was a first of its kind film for an audience which was otherwise only exposed to this form of entertainment predominantly through the popular television show Lollu Sabha. While that film had its issues, the novelty factor saw it through. Tamil Padam 2 pretty much looks like a revisit with a fresh set of scenes chosen to be spoofed on. While you were willing to wait for the joke that clicked in the first part 8 years back, today you start swiping your smart phone looking at all the memes while you wait for the joke that works. This could work both ways for the film. Boon because you are kept occupied whenever the film lags (you have no worry about missing the plot) but a bane because the memes are possibly an alternative to the form of entertainment being dished out on screen. But what really helps the film is that in these 8 years we have not had another spoof film.

Siva makes a riotous entry and TP2 completely relies on him. As long he is on screen you know that a cracker of a joke is very much on the way and given the pace at which he speaks, you could so easily miss it if you relax. It is a gift that even the jokes that few( who are at the receiving end ) might find offensive turn harmless fun with Siva in the forefront. The big difference in TP2 is that the makers here have gone a step ahead with references to Hollywood films and taken few digs at politicians too.

The issue in TP2 (Much like TP1) is that the other actors never really come close to the meter that Siva operates in and we understand that it is tough to match him. But in general, the entire supporting cast gives the feel of a tele-serial. Amudhan in a recent interview had said that he decides a scenario and then looks to fit in a popular scene. Well he is the maker and we have to take his word but more often than not it appears to be the reverse of it on screen. The film is a collection of gags. The makers probably achieve what they set out for but I am not sure if a movie format is essential for this. A lot of people love Lollu Sabha and could probably even binge watch it for hours. But would the fun quotient remain as high if it was to be played in a movie theatre for 150 minutes? The placement of songs and the way they are executed are complete disasters. The lyrics are funny and even purposeful (The Evan Da Unna Pethan number) but why is the execution so pedestrian.

Spoofs are generally about making a comical derivative out of a popular scene and in most probability the original scene would be quite serious. Let me give you an example on why few scene selections did not work for me. The climax is a spoof on Vivegam, The heroine sings as Siva takes on the baddies. We laugh. But is it for the scene on screen or because we are reminded of the original which was not any less funnier. Should we blame Amudhan here or the state of big hero commercial cinema which on its own seems like a spoof at times. Amudhan does try to be inventive by incorporating themes such as time travel. But on the whole a coherent screenplay is lacking. Is that a problem? Not sure because I guess there was no intention to have one in all probability.

Bottomline:

The way you receive TP2 will depend a lot on what you expected out of it. If you enjoyed TP1 and have similar expectations, this film mostly does the trick. But the answer is completely different in case you are looking at how cleverly or inventively the spoofs have been done.

Rating: 2.75/5

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