Nandhan Review - Bitterly Melodramatic, yet Holds Well!

Ashwin Ram

Nandhan is a rural political drama starring Sasikumar and Balaji Sakthivel in the lead roles. Directed by Era Saravanan of Udanpirappe fame.

Premise:

The only well-educated SC caste youngster gets murdered by the politicians for arguing to contest in the Panchayat elections. The posting is declared as a reserve quota for which Sasikumar becomes the chosen one. What happens after he becomes the Panchayat head of the village forms the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction:

The film opens with a strange director card stating ‘If anyone questions the honesty of the story, he is ready to prove the person’. Similarly, there are many on-the-face open dialogues and presentation of the topic taken in the film. Thankfully, only certain parts of the subject appear to be preachy and melodramatic, otherwise it is fine. The story is gutsy and it has enough interesting world building moments for us to relate to. In fact, the suppression is showcased till the pre-climax in an innocent and realistic manner. The idea of titling the film Nandhan is a masterstroke, which is not the character played by Sasikumar, but it belongs to the person who seeded the righteous idea to the people around before dying. Sasikumar’s character is written beautifully in a way we travel along with him and care for him. Of course, there will be some dry patches in an unconventional script like this, nevertheless the film is engaging on the whole. Major credit also goes in how the situations have organically developed around the villain. Because of the brutal impact created by the setup, the payoff climax is a cracker with a clap-worthy twist. There are some appreciable dialogues that benefit the humour aspect of the flick, but there are some disgusting choices of words to express the mood.

Performances:

Such an evolving characterization and performance by Sasikumar, he has literally lived in his role by underplaying for the maximum part and made the entire story world so believable. Balaji Sakthivel in a merciless villain has acted menacingly well throughout, single-dimensional yet a perfect fit as the aged politician. Neat one by Suruthi Periyasamy, she is able to handle both soft and heavy situations well. Samuthirakani in a powerful cameo makes an impact, truly a tailor-made role for him.

Technicalities:

A needless montage track, that too sounded fine. Ghibran’s background score is effective wherever intended, he has maintained silence in the apt places too. Clever work by the cameraman by staying true to the genre, the idea of presenting the committee meeting through the speaker’s footwear is a fascinating start to the film. Seamlessly edited as the unhurried pacing never felt like an issue, also the crisp runtime of less than two hours is a smart decision.

Bottomline

Speaks volumes about caste politics in a bold manner. A dry subject that is thankfully crisp and has enough engaging stuff happening. But misses out on craft to suit the cinematic sensibilities.

Rating - 2.75/ 5