Bharathiraja's 'Annakodi' Review 

by Raven

Legendary director Bharathiraja’s ‘Annakodi’ joins the list of countless movies in which the odds are stacked against the protagonist, but the protagonist succeeds during the climax. Post the engaging thriller ‘Bommalattam’, Bharathiraja has gone back to tell a rural story again. However, the film fails big time due to number of factors.

Plot

The movie has a wafer thin storyline. Kodiveeran (Lakshman) and Annakodi (Karthika Nair) fall in love at the drop of a hat. But, Annakodi’s mother is against their love and Sadayan (Manoj), a rich spoilt man, marries her after some usual drama. When you think that there is nothing else for the director to reveal, he surprises you with a bunch of clichés to make the film end on an expected note, a bold one though.

Performances

Debutante Lakshman does not look convincing in most of the scenes. Most of his expressions are weak to make any impact and his dialogue delivery does not help him either. Karthika Nair is impressive in many intense sequences and kudos to her for acting in bold scenes. But, she could have appeared more natural sans any make-up for her character.

Manoj has tried to make a desperate comeback, but ends up being loud and stereotypical. His antics and his repeated dialogue ‘Sadayan potta kanakku dhan’ are far from impressive.

Technicalities

GV Prakash Kumar’s songs provide some respite now and then in a very tedious screenplay. Saalai Sahaadevan has done a good job behind the camera. He has managed to showcase the dry village in a vibrant manner. Pazhanivel’s editing is very old-fashioned and makes the movie even more unengaging. The editor is still stuck with superimposing ‘thunder’ images over the scenes to convey grief.

Direction – Bharathiraja

From the very beginning, the movie looks like the result of a forced storyline. The unfolding of the plot looks too melodramatic and never really tries to convey something new. Director Bharathiraja has clearly missed to strike the right chord with the audience. The premise of the movie and the characters look authentic, but the flawed screenplay lets the film down. 

The romance portion is too unconvincing and definitely needed refinement. Some of the scenes involving a woman trying to seduce Manoj could have been avoided. On a positive note, the climax is boldly conveyed and a brief period post intermission (the scene where Annakodi and Kodiveeran encounter each other after Annakodi’s marriage) appears promising.

Bottomline

This is not the kind of film you expect from the legendary director Bharathiraja. Give it a miss unless you are a fan of clichéd melodrama.

Rating - 1.5 / 5