This is a superb movie !!! Rarely do we come across movies that can leave the feelings lingering in you days after you have watched it. Cheran and team have done a tremendous job to deliver just this kind of a effect.
The story centres around the hardships faced by a father in ensuring a bright future for his sons. Its a simple tale but more than well told and succeeds in evoking the right feelings in the audience. Cheran has literally struck our chords. He sure seems to be one hell of a thinker. Each scene in the movie deserves appreciation for its attention to the details.
Padmapriya as Cheran’s lady love deserves special mention. She is simply excellent. I happened to focus closely on just her in the car scene when the family is returning after checkup. She was stupendous. It was as if she was living through those scenes. Not a second did she make me feel that she was acting. And she fits the role perfectly. Cheran was damn right when he praised her beautiful smile comparing it with the fall of flowers (in the film).
The first few scenes depicting a day in the life of Raj Kiran as Cheran’s father and his sons appeared too lengthy for me. I first felt it was too much to show for a day. But it was fully justified in later scenes when raj kiran is neglected by his sons for different reasons. The lengthy first few scenes helped us sympathise with him and more importantly gauge the depth of his sorrow. Raj Kiran and Saranya as the parents were simply superb.
The novelty in portraying the present in black & white and the past in color is worthy of mention. As we slowly go through the scenes, we simply cannot but admire cheran and his team’s attention to detail and simplicity. Even a simple scene in which cheran and padmapriya are sitting in despair in their room in chennai was spiced well with the addition of a baby child rocking in a cradle inbetween them. It was a rocking scene. Silent but rocking, fully exposing the gravity of the situation. The film is strewn with a handful of such well made scenes.
I found Cheran’s acting to be good. The scene in the hospital towards the end, in which he cries for his father, was enacted superbly. The portrayal simply brought tears to my eyes.
It would be surprising if this movie is not loved by the masses. It would be even more surprising if the movie does not have a good impact on our lives. Cheran and team deserve special praise for bringing us such good movies with substance.