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| 'Pachai Kili Muthu Charam,' a Bourgeois Tale |
| Inspired by Derailed and adapted for the wayward Indian male |
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Arun Sivaraman (asivaraman)  |
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Published 2007-04-13 10:40 (KST) |
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This is filmmaker Gautham Menon's fourth venture after "Minnale," "Kaakka Kaakka" and "Vettaiyadu Vilayadu." "Pachai Kili Muthu Charam" has been one of the most anticipated movies of the year.
One reason for this is that it comes soon after the highly successful "Vettaiyadu Vilayadu." Another is its cryptic title which refers to a parrot and a pearl necklace. Although I have only a very vague idea what it means, it is a beautiful title for a movie.
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FROM THE SECTION |
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| Coming on the heels of the fast-paced "Vettaiyadu Vilayadu," this could well turn out to be a damp squib for Gautham fans as "Pachai Kili Muthu Charam" lacks the adrenaline and pace of his previous movies. For others, the movie might be refreshingly laid back and personal.
Venky (Sarathkumar) is a medical representative and leads a fairly content professional and marital life. He has a decently paying job which keeps him in the office no more than nine hours a day, allowing him to spend time with his small family. All is fine except that he has a diabetic son Nanda, who needs constant insulin shots and attention.
Accompanying this is Kalyani's (Andrea) guilt at their son's condition and a gradual drifting apart of their relationship. Nothing really serious yet -- just some missed nights of love making and quality time together -- which is expected when you enter the 40s. Venky is trying his best to piece together the minor pieces which have been scattered from the jigsaw of their relationship. In the meantime, he stumbles upon an unlikely kindred soul in Geetha (Jyotika) who commutes by the same train to office everyday.
Gradually, Venky falls into a relationship with Geetha who is suffocating in an unhappy marriage. Despite his best (limited) attempts to avoid a relationship, he finds that Geetha needs him as well. Inevitably, they end up in a remote beach resort. Just the two of them, till Lawrence (Milind Soman) barges in on their little party. There, Venky's reasonably normal life is disrupted.
For serious followers of his brand of cinema, it is readily apparent that this is a Gautham movie. Typically, the movie starts in the present and time is reversed to present the series of events leading to that present.
Additionally, most of his regulars in the crew are there. Harris Jayaraj has composed the music, as he had for all his three earlier movies. Singer Bombay Jayashree has lent her voice to a chart-topping number this time around as well.
It's common knowledge that Gautham likes to keep the camera focused on the protagonists when they are in conversation. The habit continues in "Pachai Kili Muthu Charam." However, it does not work well in this case. Two reasons: Sarathkumar and Andrea look plastic in a few instances and the fairly low budget for the movie has definitely affected the camera work of Arvind Krishna. Cost cutting, probably.
Despite these quirks, the movie is homogeneous with Gautham's other movies, thanks to his penchant for English lines and the typically jazzy background score by Harris Jayaraj. It's high time Gautham either cut down on the number of English lines in his script or at least ensured that they suit the actor. Coming from Sarathkumar, some of them sound tacky and forced. Agreed, he has managed to squeeze in a bit more profanity than is usually allowed by the censors when the language is Tamil. You also notice some sloppy camera work and unseemly editing. Definitely a spoiler.
The director has been quoted as saying the inspiration for the movie came from the novel Derailed by James Siegel. The novel is not ideally suited for middle-class Tamil society, which looks askance at extra-marital affairs. However, the script has been modified to suit the specific needs of the Tamil audience and it turns out to be solid enough to get the message across convincingly. The screenplay is also fairly racy and manages to keep you involved in the proceedings (at least, in the second half).
The movie is obviously bourgeois. Venky's sensibilities, his family, his home, his job, his wife, his affair, his very way of life ... everything about the movie is bourgeois. The movie is essentially targeted at this vast section of the Tamil population. But the multiplex crowd has not lapped this movie up. A possible reason could be the first part of the movie, where the director has devoted a lot of time to get under the skin of the characters and dissect their relationships. Also, Jyotika in a role with shades of gray did not go down well with the audience.
The highlight of the movie is a mercurial Milind Soman. New to Tamil cinema and new to the language, he sails through as the soulless, foul-mouthed Lawrence. Newcomer Andrea is lifeless for the most part and is used more as a prop than anything else. Her Anglo-Indian looks do not fit the character of Kalyani, a quintessential Tamil name.
Sarathkumar is treading new ground after more than a hundred movies as an action hero. Though his physique does not suit the role of the mild-mannered, loving husband who submits to being perpetually hounded by the blackmailer, he has done a fairly decent job in all those sequences where he does not have to emote much. As always, another memorable performance by Jyotika.
It's funny that her best performances have been saved for her last three movies -- "Vettaiyadu Vilayadu," "Pachai Kili Muthu Charam" and "Mozhi." I've had occasion to express myself on her decision to quit acting before. I'll use this chance as well. Let's hope she re-thinks her decision.
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Country: India
Language: Tamil
Cast: Sarathkumar, Jyotika, Milind Soman, Andrea
Story, Screenplay, Dialogue, Direction: Gautham
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Cinematographer: Arvind Krishna |
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©2007 OhmyNews
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 Comments Note: Kindly refrain from personal attacks and profanity. |
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1. Tony
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Walter , 2007-05-10 06:37
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