Premise: Ilavarasu’s daughter is about to get married and unfortunately the previous night Thambi Ramaiah’s father passes away, who are living next to each other. Jiiva is the Panchayat leader of the village who tries to calm things down in this tough situation.
Writing/ Direction: We have seen many Malayalam films with simple premise landing great with quality storytelling. Seems like the ‘Falimy’ director is here with a similar objective. The plot is thin yet has a great relatability factor. In a country where people seek positive signs when we are just attending a function, what if the house next to ours is conducting final rights to a dead person when we are hosting a wedding, it is indeed a stressful scenario. The writer has developed the idea by creating convincing plot-points around it, neatly staged too. The presentation is so believable as the storyworld is set realistically. Takes a little time in the beginning, the refreshing humour throughout the first hour makes it highly entertaining, while the second half takes the dramatic path. The guests of the events have been used as efficient comic tools to evoke laughter, most comedies land as we are involved in the flow. There are a couple of convenient stretches just to intensify the narrative, the missing bride sequence for example did not really look organic. The dead body was evidently breathing in certain frames, there was a reason for it, but even without that the finishing quarrel would have been justifying. However the gripping repercussions of the incident helps the flaw to fade away. Many lively elements are placed to drive the subject and certain disclosed backstories are dealt as meaningful payoff post the heated arguments. The second half is low on the fun aspect and carries more of serious situations, acting as an apt setup for the ending. The climax is cleverly executed with perfect crowd management, proving the filmmaker’s mettle. Solid and a rightful ending, also every subplot gets a proper closure.
Performances: A Cakewalk role for Jiiva, he looked so comfortable on-screen. It is always fun to see him in lighted-hearted subjects, also his dialogue delivery is natural when he is handling the serious situations here. Mature role for Prathana Nathan, she played it with clarity by always staying in sync with the situations around her. Immense importance in the story for Ilavarasu and Thambi Ramaiah, their characters are the script’s driving force and they both have portrayed with equal confidence. Quite a disappointing venture for Jensan Diwakar, his character had scope but felt he was not utilized to his potential in the humour aspect. Otherwise topical casting choices overall.
Technicalities: First film for Vishnu Vijay in Tamil, solid debut with respect to songs and background score, he has achieved by delivering a native rural music throughout, with some experimental touches too. Very neat camera work, the geography gets established with good clarity and the final stretch is skilfully shot. It is a cut-to-the-chase film and the crisp editing of under two hours runtime helps the leisure pacing of the flow. Quality stunt choreography, the chaos in the climax looked so believable despite the heavy crowd and a vast area to cover.
Verdict: A neatly made rural comedy drama, where the director has not just stuck to his core idea but has also improvised it with appreciable screenwriting, gets most things right. A clean film to watch with friends and families for this festive season.
THALAIVAR THAMBI THALAMAIYIL - Simply Superb!
Rating - 3.25/ 5.