Even as we celebrate the ‘International Women’s Day’ with much pomp and gaiety, women are still enslaved in the name of religion, superstitions, chauvinistic attitudes of men, and more. Debutant director Mandhira Moorthy has taken up all these issues and addresses them effectively like Iyakkunar Sigaram K Balachander in his film ‘Ayothi’.
Although many films have portrayed love with many twists and turns to make moolah, this director has touched the human values and emotions in a unique way to impress the audience. In a nutshell, it is a movie with message and a must watch to bring about the much-needed perception of love.
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Debutant director Mandhira Moorthy’s craft is powerful enough to hold the audience’s attention throughout the film. The characters and dialogue are well-etched and kept as real as possible. Mandhira Moorthy has sensibly understood what a protagonist should be. Sasikumar’s heroism is subtle, and his character beautifully travels along with the story.
The director has skillfully kept the plot simple without introducing too many characters, events, or subplots, despite touching on so many issues. Within a few minutes into the film, we are introduced to a family of four from Ayothi. The family is headed by a conservative, religious patriarch, Yashpal Sharma, who treats his wife cruelly and exploits her in many ways. They have two children — a college-going girl, Shivani, played by Preethi Asrani, and a young boy. On the occasion of Deepavali, the family decides to go on a spiritual trip to Rameswaram, not knowing that the trip would turn into a disaster. Janki, the mother of the two children, suffers serious injuries in an accident, and a man from Rameshwaram, Sasikumar, who happens to be the friend of the cab driver involved, decides to help the helpless family.
Trailer:
Things get complicated when Janki dies on the way to the government hospital. The rest of the story depicts the sufferings of the two children at the hands of their extremely religious father and how Sasikumar and his friend, Pugazh, help them to take their mother’s dead body to their hometown despite all odds.
Debutant director Mandhira Moorthy’s craft is powerful enough to hold the audience’s attention throughout the film. The characters and dialogue are well-etched and kept as real as possible. Mandhira Moorthy has sensibly understood what a protagonist should be. Sasikumar’s heroism is subtle, and his character beautifully travels along with the story.
When a filmmaker introduces us to a character in the very first scene with evil attributes, it’s obvious that they will undergo a transformation in the end. But how it happens matters the most, and Mandhira Moorthy has presented it with many heartwarming moments. Although the script lacks major conflicts, it makes up for it with deeper emotions that resonate with the audience. The audience travels along with the emotions of a family from North India, which is a rare occurrence in Tamil cinema. Preethi Asrani’s performance as Shivani is exceptional, and the director has rightly used close-up shots to highlight her acting skills.
It’s refreshing to see Pugazh in a character role instead of a comedian. He has done justice to the role given to him. Yashpal Sharma’s performance as a man with conservative and chauvinistic attitudes is convincing, and his act towards the climax is commendable. Sasikumar has played his role well and fits in perfectly. Revealing his character name might spoil the experience of the viewers, so it’s best not to reveal it.
CAST
Sasi Kumar – (Abdul Malik) Yashpal sharma – (Balram) Preethi Asrani – (Shivani) Pugazh – (Pandi) Anju Asrani – (Janaki) Advaith (Child) – (Sonu)
CREW
Director: R Manthira Moorthy, Producer: R Ravindran, Banner: Trident Arts, DOP: Madheshmanickam, Music: NT Ragunanthan, Editor: San Lokesh, Art director: G.Durai Raj, Stunt: Dinesh Subbarayan, Choreography: Sherif , Costume designer: Keerthi Vasan , Audiography: Ghatam Siva, VFX: Mahi, PRO: Nikil, Executive Producer: Linda Alexander, Publicity designer: Thandora Music label – Sareegama, Production Coordinator: S Jayaraman, Production controller: T Selvaraj , Production Executive: S.N. Asraf, Production Manager: D. Baskar, Creative – Marketing: J Harihara,n Subtitles: Rekhs and Colourist: K Arun Sangameshwar.
Rating: 4.5/5
