Masala Padam (Tamil, 2015)

Shiva in the role of a quintessential common man in Chennai brings life to the otherwise flat film. His unique voice modulation and body-language make us sit right up whenever he comes on screen. The actor who played the role of the Producer too delights with his dialogue delivery. Also, the fact that the film moves from the perspective of a woman is refreshing to see.

The one-liner which the movie is based on is very relevant given the unethical practices of trolling mercilessly though memes and the harsh online personal criticism of people involved in the movies. Other than that the music is adequate and costumes look fresh.

The film sort of veers away from its sole purpose of questioning the ethics of online critics in demeaning India’s commercial cinema by comparing them with popular films from the West. It really gets on audience nerves when the film starts getting philosophical & all preachy. Also, the method the director chooses to bring the online critics down by asking them to write a screenplay is laughable. Can the Chef ever ask his guest to cook a dish just because the guest did not like the dish?

The film starring two popular stars in Bobby Simha and Mirchi Shiva is extremely low on production value. Technically too, the film does not make a mark with numerous shots going out of focus. The fact that there are quite a few short films these days that are shot better is alarming.

The choice of actors for the critics is deplorable. They do not have any sort of presence on screen and are extremely expressionless. Even our National Award winner, Bobby Simha looks totally blank.