Now Premiering - Putham Pudhu Kaalai

Putham Pudhu Kaalai - While all the 5 stories make us feel warm and relevant, it's undoubtedly Karthik Subbaraj's Miracle which leaves a lasting impression and a happily bid goodbye.

The year 2020 has been getting crazier, stranger and unforeseen day by day. Who would’ve thought Tamil Cinema’s finest Auteur’s, known for their rising and/or unique voices are roped in to make a 25min shorts which culminate into an Anthology.

The review will comment on each short film as a sole and at the end, overall.

Ilamai Idho Idho-Directed by Sudha Kongara

The long-lasting impression of Love beyond every strata and stigma, where, as Madhavan ( in the most meta-state presence) narrates, that it’s more of how it makes each feel that’s important than anything. There are a playful joy and cheerfulness in the fantasy or the idea of Sudha Kongara's most class over crass story ever, in shifting back and forth from an Objective and more externalised point of view of an Old Couple ( Played by Jayaram and Urvashi )  to a more personal and internalised perspective of a Couple still young at heart ( Played by Kalidas Jayaram and Kalyani Priyadarshan ). We get the director’s tribute to Mani Ratnam in the most creative manner in using it as an element ( the Madhavan narration ) of romance. But, there is a lack in the connect as we only get to see the current Couple dealing with their lives but not their back-story which led to these trickier situations.

Avarum Naanum/Avalum Naanum-Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon

This story is set in a more tranquil and ethereal cosmo of relationship dynamics with a Grandaughter ( played by Ritu Varma )and her estranged Thatha ( played by MS Bhasker ). It gets more ethereal with GVM’s signature Narration(s), PC Sreeram's simplistic handheld cinematography and Govind Vasantha’s ever so tranquil notes. There is a proper establishment of back story and a lilting quality when Thatha tries to up his game as a techie to keep up with the communication smoothening with her. But, again these are just flashes of a bigger picture as they rush through the ending and leave us just warm. You might ask why nitpick when there is a restriction on runtime for 25min?

Also Read: Now Premiering Nishabdam 

Coffee, Anyone?-Directed by Suhasini Maniratnam

This one is a little difficult to review as its perfect in every sense, almost every craft. The classy staccato Mani Ratnam dialogues and writing which exposes on a bittersweet vulnerability among a close family is very touching, especially, Kathadi Ramamurthy as the very optimistic and encouraging Father and husband. The tinge of love ( addiction? maybe ) towards a freshly made strong coffee sip, Amma’s doting voice and frenzy time with siblings make us feel relevant and connect well. It’s this familial quality of a quintessential middle-class Indian family which makes it easy to shake hands with the story saving it from another problem of self-explanatory nature of the characters.

Reunion-Directed by Rajiv Menon

Rajiv Menon’s work is the most tasteful yet most underwhelming among all due to a few primal reasons. We know the director’s style of work with a slice of life genres, but the dramatic tension doesn’t glue the attention. There are no solid conflicts – you get a solace seeking drug-addicted girl ( Sadhana played by Andrea Jeremiah ), an exposed to COVID doctor ( Vikram played by Gurucharan C ) and the loving Leela Samson ( Bhairavi ) as the timid Mother above both. The spelling out of character arcs and consequences just keeps sailing rather than anchoring the story to a direction. The love proposal at the last is very creatively conceived but you never feel the love being expressed. Those just end up as mere lines which are cheesy to flirt.

Rajiv Menon’s eye for a very stylistic scheme of visual quality is a delight to watch as it transcends to the Short film format.

#Vintagedirectors at their best

Miracle-Directed by Karthik Subbaraj

KS gets right in his zone of Tarantinoesque Black Comedy in the very first title card with a goofed up font filled with a background of an Everyday Astrological Guruji Talks, snorting lines like “Miracle do happens” and sober-satirical music of a temple tune. While the characters in other episodes trip over sipping coffee or mojito, here it’s slightly streets flavour when Bobby Simha asks Sharath Ravi – “ Pulihodari aa?....Biriyani aa..?”.  The reply is even more street slanged as – “ Ondre Biriyani! Ondrum Nandre Biriyani...Nandrum Endre Biriyan!i..”. KS’s arcs in the story are gauged to be operated within the 25min conceit completely overcoming the problem of a broad stroke within a small boundary. The other stories feel like a small part of a large happening in contrast to Miracle being a large story happening in a short time. It may be because of the director’s experience as a veteran short film director, which again, actually was the pathway for him in becoming a director today, has highly helped in choosing over subjects and dialogues. No KS’s movie is complete without any deep referential meta elements, you will get a striking one, which I don’t want to spoil.

The 25 min Anthology series is an interesting discovery though the final cut can be commented either to be far less utilized ( with exception to Miracle ) in comparison with their ”Film Prowess” or far better utilized in comparison with other budding ”Short film ” products.