Putham Pudhu Kaalai
Directors: Sudha Kongara, Gautham Menon, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Rajiv Menon, Karthik Subbaraj
Cast: Jayaram, Kalidas Jayaram, Urvashi, Kalyani Priyadarshan, MS Bhaskar, Ritu Varma, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Anu Hasan, Shruti Haasan, Andrea Jeremiah, Leela Samson, Sikkil Gurucharan, Bobby Simha, Muthu Kumar
It has been a long time since I saw a Tamil work that moved me. Amazon Prime Video’s first anthology in Tamil of five short films was notable for its emotional quotient, laced with outstanding performances. The five films were shot during the recent closing and are directed by various directors who are popular in South Indian cinema. While the first four segments are set in wealthy households, the latter underscores the dire poverty suffered by the poorer classes after the lockdown was slowed down.
The shorts are about broken relationships and reunions, not necessarily involving two lovers, as in Sudha Kongara’s Ilamai Idho Idho (Youth, Here We Come), or between two college sweethearts (who come face to face with one another). during the lockdown in Rajiv Menon’s Reunion), but also between a young woman and her estranged grandfather (Gautham Menon’s Avarum Naanum/Avalum Naanum or Him and Me/Her and Me) or between three sisters and their parents in Suhansini Mani Ratnam’s Coffee, anyone? in which an elderly woman’s coma leaves her two daughters rushing to her bed with a third in Mumbai, stubbornly refusing to forget and forgive her mother’s callous attitude. Karthik Subbaraj’s Miracle evades any serious investigation into the ties between two brothers, who find themselves out of work and looking for free food.
I’ve never been a particular fan of Gautham Menon, but his Avarum Naanum/Avalum Naanum knocked me out with its wonderfully sensitive portrayal of a man’s relationship with his estranged granddaughter, who comes to visit him during the pandemic. Bhaskar played the old man with an outstanding track record as a physicist (“worked with Kalam,” he says) who hadn’t spoken to his daughter for years after she married a man who “killed” her enormous talent as a classical singer. has always been on his mind, hurting him and causing untold pain. And when his granddaughter, Kanna (Ritu Varma), comes to stay with him, he gets the chance to discuss things with her in the hope of redemption. The two get along well. Kanna is surprised to find that he is as adept at using modern gadgets as she is. Plus, during a gnarly office meeting, the guy walks in over the video and offers a solution! Excellent performances by Bhaskar and Varma seem easy and very natural.
I really liked the acting in Rajiv Menon’s Reunion – with the famous classical musician Sikkil C. Gurucharan playing a young doctor, Vikram, and living with his mother (Leela Samson). In walks Sadhana (Andrea Jeremiah), an old classmate. Sadhana becomes part of their household after her two-wheeler breaks down. There are fears like when one of Vikram’s patients tests Covid positive and when Sadhana faints after snorting cocaine. The climax is simply delightful with hope playing musical notes and reinvigorating not only Vikram’s passion for the art but also a sense of romance.
Kongara’s Ilamai Idho Idho also ends on a climax after two middle-aged people gather at Rajiv Padmanabhan’s (Jayaram) home during the lockdown. Lakshmi Krishnan (Urvashi) and he were once inseparable (as shown during their younger days / played by Kalidas Jayaram and Kalyani Priyadarshan). They have married several people, been widowed and presumably lead a lonely life when the pandemic comes as a blessed relief. She tells her married son that she is going to Pondicherry for a retreat, and Rajiv tucks in his domestic worker for privacy. There are sweet moments between the two – from how they squabble over a spoon left in a fridge to a wet towel on the bed. Pretty sweet and a touch of brilliant acting from Jayaram, but of course.
Suhasini Mani Ratnam’s coffee, anyone? Underlines the bond between three sisters: Mani Ratnam as the eldest Valli, Anu Hasan as Saras and Shruti Haasan as Ramya. Valli flew in from England to be with her comatose mother, Soundara Mahendran (Komalam Charuhasan) and father, Mahendran (Kathadi Ramamurthy). Ramya refuses to come to Mumbai, still hurt from the insult her mother inflicted on her. At home there is camaraderie and then there is fear when the father refuses to let his wife go back to the hospital, until Ramya becomes the center of a miracle.
The last segment of Karthik Subbaraj is interestingly titled Miracle with Bobby Simha and Sharath Ravi as two impoverished brothers living in a slum and hoping for a miracle. When they come across an abandoned car on a deserted ground, they loot it in the hope of hidden money. They don’t, but find their way to a supposedly empty house where they find bags of banknotes. But the twist of the story is astonishing and in a way is an indictment of blind beliefs. Suitable for the kind of horrible times the world is going through. Fortunately, this is just one of five directly addressing the economic devastation caused by the lockdown, and the anger and frustration it is causing.
While the writing style is quite sharp and the directing is high up the ladder, some performances outshine others. Anu Hasan is wonderfully expressive and Bhaskar brings in his richly described character an astonishing depth as a man who has long suffered how his daughter was snatched from an almost divine talent. Jayaram steals the spotlight as a clumsy middle-aged man, in ecstasy at being reunited with his love after decades.
Rating: 4/5
(Gautaman Bhaskaran is an author, commentator and film critic)
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