I have been wanting to watch this Tamil movie for ages now. But it was deemed that I must watch this movie on Father’s Day! It’s a delightful, emotional, heart tugging movie about the relationship between a father and daughter. You watch and you feel like it’s your life unfolding out there!
The film opens in cool Conoor with an elderly man (Prakash Raj) sitting on a park bench and watching a young father interacting with his daughter. When the young dad decides to take a break and comes to sit on the bench the two get talking. The movie is all about Prakash Raj’s journey as a father. How much he learnt from the child – rather than the other way around.
From her first day on earth to her first day at school, we watch a father watch his child grow. Sometimes she startles him with her insights. Sometimes she amazes him with her deeds. Each day he learns something new from her. He narrates the story of how she once – as a 10 year old - brings home a beggar and insists that he start living with them. A hilarious scene indeed! Fantastic expressions by Prakash Raj and Aishwarya. In the end, the child wins and the beggar does start living with them and soon become part of their family.
Another incident is where they are going to a 5 star restaurant with some friends to celebrate their anniversary. The little girl says lets take Ravi (the former beggar) with us too. The father is amazed and wonders why he did not have it in his heart to invite the man himself. Why did it take the spontaneity of a child to teach him that?
When the child is in her teens she wants him to get her a cycle. After sternly objecting to it – the father ends up relenting. But then when she rides it to school he follows her in his jeep. She stops and sends him back saying“I know what I’m doing.” It’s a poignant moment for the father when he realizes his little one is now grown up.
The girl completes school and gets into a prestigious MBA course in Delhi. Very reluctantly the father lets her go. His parting words are – “what will I do when you go away?”
She completes her MBA and comes back and declares that she is in love with someone. The person turns out to be a sardar – much to the father’s chagrin. The rest of the movie is about the father’s struggle to let go. Reminiscent of Steve Martin’s emotions in the movie Father of the Bride.
This film by director Radha Mohan is filled with touching, poignant moments and it has its share of rip roaring laughter, tongue in cheek humour and more! You laugh and cry with this family, in fact, you become a part of it. Prakash Raj as the father and Aishwarya as the mother (daughter of yesteryears’ actress Lakshmi of ‘Julie’ fame) – have done a splendid job! Trisha as the grown up daughter has done well too. Music is the only weakness of this movie.
A must watch for everyone with young kids!