Message movies are dime a dozen and they regularly run the risk of being skewed towards the former to such an extent that they superimpose and even drown out the latter. In the hands of inept amateurs or even overly zealous veterans in an evangelist mode, they tend to become preachy at best and quite often, end up cringe-worthy. Consequently, message movie could well be called an oxymoron.
Seen in this light, debutante director Mari Selvaraj's maiden effort comes as a whiff of fresh breeze and is, indeed, an extraordinary achievement. This slice of life drama, set in southern Tamil Nadu, is the story of the protagonist - Pariyerum Perumal (Kadhir) - a poor law college student from the oppressed caste trying to find his place under the sun as an equal. And . . it is through the prism of his life story, the director surveys the spectrum of class as well as caste divides and many more minor, yet finer nuances.
Mari holds a mirror to the contemporary society and finds rich shades even in what looks like staid stereotypes. Look, for instance, Perumal's connection with his father, compulsions of Jo's (Anandhi) father, the characterisation of the college principal or even that of Yogi Babu or Anandhi who, despite coming from the upper class, have very different takes on their milieu as compared to their counterparts which, in turn, defines their own individual connection to Perumal. Mari maintains a meticulous focus on the narrative even as his layered writing ensures that the smallest of characters are imbued with sufficient texture to make them feel real and have moments of their own which fit seamlessly into the story arc.
Kadhir is excellent as Perumal and gets under the skin of the character to explore his insecurities about his identity, humiliation, helplessness, simmering rage as well as quiet determination. Anandhi, Yogi Babu, Marimuthu and the rest of the supporting cast turn in credible performances as well. Mari is also complemented well by Santhosh Narayanan who infuses life through his unique songs as well as background score. The cinematography by Sridhar captures the locales in their natural flair without being flashy and adds to the urgency in the action sequences.
The craft of Mari Selvaraj on display here is superlative and even surpasses his mentor - director Pa. Ranjit - who is the producer here. His narrative has the gift of a natural flow that courses through the mundane to the gut wrenching to subtle layers without making anything look forced. The manner in which he has created the shocker of an initial sequence as well as the evocative finale, which is one of the best we have seen in recent times and the narrative journey in between bear testimony that, despite being a debutante, Mari is a consummate creator, confident of his craft.
Kudos and plaudits are richly deserved by the duo of Pa. Ranjit - the mentor - as well as Mari Selvaraj - the prodigy - who surpasses his mentor for making this movie and if their debut efforts - as producer and director, respectively - are anything to go by, we can look forward to more such meaningful fare at the movies.
AN EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE ! A MUST WATCH !!
RATING - 4/5
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