A retired Tamil teacher refuses to honor the inter-caste marriage of his son who is a Hindu to a Christian girl, and as a result, they leave him to pursue their medical career to the city. The obstinate father mellows down when his son eventually returns after learning of his father’s ill-health. However it is the English-speaking grandson who literally gives a rebirth to the ageing grandfather.
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Language:
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Tamil
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Running Time:
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105 mins
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Rating:
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U
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Release date:
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20 December 2013
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Directed by:
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Balu Mahendra
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Produced by:
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M. Sasikumar
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Written by:
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Balu Mahendra
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Starring:
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Sashikumar
Ramya Shankar
Vinodhini
Master Karthick
Balu Mahendra
M. Sasikumar
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Music by:
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Ilaiyaraaja
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Shot by:
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Balu Mahendra
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Editing by:
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Balu Mahendra
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Distributed by:
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Company Productions
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What’s Hot
- It is Balu Mahendra’s dream to present this story from his childhood into a film and the effort shows in each and every frame. In addition to donning the hats of Director, Producer, Cinematographer & Editor, he also shows off his acting skills which are top-notch.
- His realistic writing and accurate portrayal of a retired Tamil teacher full of little mannerisms like a slight limp in his walk and cheekiness when he chides are delightful. The scenes with his son and daughter-in-law have been written and acted so well that they have a very good impact.
- Although the film is majorly dominated by the grandfather and his grandson (who shows some good expressions when he poses questions), a lot of credit should be bestowed upon each and every supporting character. Specifically, Ramya as the daughter-in-law is a revelation and performs admirably.
- The film’s content touches upon various subjects ranging from language to religion to female education. The scene where the grandfather explains about the existence of God to his grandson is marvelous and so is Sasikumar’s voice-over.
- Balu Mahendra shows that his sense of framing is still alive & kicking with some exquisite shots in and around the village house. He also shows his ease at changing with the times by switching to a Canon 5D DSLR camera for this low-budget flick.
- The Ilaiyaraja and Balu Mahendra combo has given us so many unforgettable memories and they don’t disappoint here as well. Raja’s experience shows when he allows almost 40 minutes of the 105 minutes long film to pass before mesmerizing the audience with some soulful music. Such spells of silence lend creditability to the realistic canvas that has been presented by the ace director.
What’s Not
- Since the film is based on projecting reality as we encounter it, one cannot expect any twists that the present-day audience expects in every film. The lack of any commercial elements such as songs, comedy tracks will lead to critical acclaim but not box-office success which is the sad truth.
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