Orange Mittai (Tamil, 2015)

The moment you read that the film is directed, cinematographed & edited by a single person, (Biju Vishwanath) you brace yourself for the indulgence that is bound to creep in. However, it is pleasing to see the film never really getting melodramatic in spite of ample scope being there for the same. I mean, no one ever cries in a film that talks about an old man who is close to death. How is that for restraint!

The ever-charming Vijay Sethupathi once again breaks the image of a mainstream Hero by living as a grumpy old man throughout the film. While his actions as per the character, irritate in the first half, the second half brings out this extreme level of restraint that he seems to possess in abundance. It is a delight to watch him act & mouth his own dialogues on screen; particularly the Sasikumar-fan scene is a riot!

It is tough to act with a performer like Vijay Sethupathi & still retain the individuality, but both Aaru Bala & Ramesh Thilak score whenever given space. While Aaru Bala is excellent as the boisterous driver (he calls himself an Ambulance Pilot by the way) excelling in his sense of timing, Ramesh Thilak as Sathya, astounds with his restraint in handling the cantankerous old man as well as his finicky girlfriend. There are many occasions where he takes us by surprise with his subtle expressions given that he has always played commercial (read playing to the gallery) side-kick roles in his previous films.

Cinematography & editing stand as two pillars for the film. In spite of the film happening in the country-side, Biju has resisted from showing lush fields. Instead he has managed to stay different & yet delight us by showing the bleak, vast expanses surrounded by mountains. There has been a lot of thinking behind the camera angles too which shows up in the innovative frames & shots.

The film has to be lauded for never bending to commercial compromises. There is no TASMAC reference or women objectification on show. While this is never a criterion for judging a film, the fact that so many films play to the gallery by adding these elements, make it a mandatory mention when films bravely stay true to the theme.

The catchy title theme notwithstanding, Justin mostly overdoes the background score in this film. There is very little space given for silence in spite of this being a dialogue-oriented film. Hope he comes back to the form that he showed in Pannaiyarum Padminiyum in the upcoming films.

The lack of production value shows that the film is an Independent venture. Also, the film loses a bit of its directness when choosing to abstain from a bit of drama ( like the odd emotional spike seen in a similarly set Planes, Trains and Automobiles) even in places where it is warranted. Perhaps, it is Biju’s vision as he quotes in the end that he wants us to savor the journey rather than the end.