R ARIVANANTHAM
Cinema is an effective medium to portray many issues afflicting the underprivileged and to bring about a change among the masses. Pa Ranjith has mastered in this art.
Upcoming hero Yogi Babu-starrer ‘Bommai Nayaki,’ is an another strong content from Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Production house to highlight the problems faced by the downtrodden peoples’ fight for justice.
- The film portrays social issue with lot of sensitivity and deep understanding of the sexual abuse against a girl child.
- Kudos to the first-time writer and director Shan, who tries to address several issues in one film
- Subatra, who plays the mother, is terrific in the limited screen time she gets.
This is another film on the series of films against sexual abuse of a girl child followed by Kovai Sarala-starrer ‘Sembi’ in the recent past.
Trailer:
The film portrays social issue with lot of sensitivity and deep understanding of the sexual abuse against a girl child.
The film is based on the life of a small family with no big aspirations. Yogi Babu plays Velu, a working in a tea shop in Cuddalore. The film opens with a beautiful shot of Velu waking up from his sleep and lying next to him are his wife and his nine-year-old daughter Bommai Nayagi, who is named after the family God. The opening shot beautifully illustrates the world of Velu, whose life revolves around his family and his small dream of owning a tea stall.
Velu completely upset when he saw his daughter is sexually abused by influential men belonging to the upper caste under the influence of liquor. The incident takes place during the temple festival and the victim is a girl named after the local God. The rest of the story is how Velu’s fighting and how a social worker and a woman advocate helping him for getting justice for the crime meted out to his daughter.
Kudos to the first-time writer and director Shan, who tries to address several issues in one film. As much as the film is about a father’s fight for justice, and how the judiciary is flawed, it also throws the spotlight on how caste politics continue to play a crucial role in people’s lives. The film has a very interesting sub-plot featuring Velu and his brother Senthil (Arul Doss), who is an influential man with some political ambition. Senthil has a soft corner for Velu, but he’s helpless because he rubs shoulders with people, who belong to the upper caste and their votes matter for him.
The supporting cast, too, plays their respective roles very effectively. Subatra, who plays the mother, is terrific in the limited screen time she gets.
Cast: Yogi Babu, Subatra, Harikrishnan, GM Kumar, Arul Doss and Writer-Director: Shan.
