Tag: Netflix

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Meenakshi Sundareshwar: A Slice Of Life Entertainer Propelled By Its Leads

Meenakshi Sundareshwar directed by Vivek Soni rests on a thin plot but the director makes it work with his packaging. He is also aided by his two charming actors in the lead roles. The major theme that Vivek Soni touches upon is the perils of long distance marriage. There are certain other themes which are used as a plot device to build up the drama.

The story of Meenakshi Sundareshwar is set in Madurai. The film begins off by setting up the character traits. Sanya Malhotra’s Meenakshi is a huge movie buff; she has also got the habit of reading books every night before she goes to sleep. In addition, she is also a crazy fan of Rajinikanth. She sees all his films first day first show. Abhimanyu Dassini’s Sundareshwar is a polar opposite. Movies put him to sleep, his only interest is coding. In general he is an introvert who holds back.

In a scene straight out of Tarun Bhaskar’s Pelli Choopulu Sundareshwar’s family comes to the wrong house, the leads come to know about this after they have chatted for a while. This is not the only similarity that the film shares with Pelli Choopulu. Sundareshwar’s father has a very low opinion about his son and he feels that his son is wasting his time in trying to make a career out of coding. Instead, the father wants him to join the family business of sarees. On the first night Sundareshwar gets a message from a company that he has to join urgently. Initially the long distance marriage is all hunky dory as they keep chatting on Skype but the lack of communication soon catches up and cracks begin to appear. Sundareshwar’s problems are further compounded by the fact that he has to hide his marital status from the boss. The reason being the company only wants bachelors. The rest of the story is about how the couple makes their marriage work.

The success of Meenakshi Sundareshwar lies in how Vivek Soni deals with the conflicts between the lead characters. Many young married couples would be able to relate to those problems. There is an important message that the director delivers. The message is about the importance of communication in a relationship. The best thing is that this message is conveyed in a non-preachy manner.

The differences in the personalities also form an important part of the film. These differences are used by Vivek Soni to explain why they are making rash decisions or even holding back when they don’t need to.

The film is also visually stunning thanks to the cinematography by Debojeet Ray. It presents Madurai in a gorgeous way. The music by Justin Prabhakaran is soothing to the ears,

For any romantic film chemistry between the leads plays an extremely important part, fortunately Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dassani don’t disappoint. They make for a charming pair. Sanya Malhotra particularly shines as a smart, confident woman. Her imitation of Rajinikanth in certain scenes is also fun to watch. Abhimanyu Dassani has less to play with but he still shines with his understated portrayal. The patch up of Meenakshi and Sunderswar happens in a theater which is playing Rajinikanth’s Darbar, it is over the top but it goes well with the mood of the film. The supporting characters don’t have a lot to do but they are efficient in their respective parts.

There is a special thanks which is given to Alia Bhatt at the beginning of the film. The reason for the thank you card is that Vivek Soni had first given the script to her; he wanted to know her opinion about the plot. He was an assistant directors on the sets of Shaandar and Udta Punjab, there they become friends and continued to stay in touch.

Alia loved the innocence of the characters and was thoroughly impressed. She then connected Vivek Soni to Karan Johar. That was how Karan Johar came on board and produced the film under Dharmatic entertainment.

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Call My Agent: A Satire Which Needed More Bite

For those who are not aware Shaad Ali’s Call My Agent is a remake of a French show with the same name. Since I haven’t seen the French one I will be looking at the Bollywood version as a standalone one. Call My Agent is a series which had the potential to be a solid satire on how the Filmy universe of Bollywood works. However, what we get instead is a half baked product which never becomes more than the sum of its parts. The series also ends with a hint of season 2 coming, but the makers need to come up with a tighter script next time around.

The Bollywood version of Call My Agent revolves a company called ART and the team of agents headed by Soumyajit Dasgupta (Tinu Anand). Rajat Kapoor plays the senior most agent in the company. He is a hustler by nature; He has a daughter from an undisclosed family in Goa. The daughter is played by Radhika Seth. Soni Razdan is the second senior most agent. Aahana Kumara plays a volatile woman with a colorful love life. Ayush Mehra plays the other important member of ART. There are also a host of cameos from Dia Mirza, Jackie Shroff, Akshara Hasan, Sarika, Nandita Das etc.

The most interesting bits of Call My Agent are the long list of cameos from the stars. My most favorite one is that of Dia Mirza. She plays an actor in 40’s who faces the tough choice of getting cosmetic surgery or losing a Hollywood role. In that episode Shaad Ali covers topics like ageism in the industry. In a non preachy manner the director addresses some important issues.

Another interesting cameo is the one of Lara Dutta. In this episode we see Lara Dutta being in a fix about starring in a multiplex film that requires her to be on the set of the ravines of Chambal.

The chief reasons why these cameos work is because they seemed to have enjoyed playing these parts.

Out of the agents only Ayush Mehra and Aahana Kumara work well in their parts. The chemistry between these two characters is far more believable than Aahana Kumara’s lesbian track. Her lesbian affair with Jasleen ( Anuschka Sawhney) is more awkward than enjoyable.

The biggest flaw of Call My Agent are the characters of Rajat Kapoor and Soni Razdan. Rajat Kapoor is sorely miscast and his body language isn’t appropriate for the role of master negotiator he is supposed to play. Soni Razdan is supposed to be a veteran in the company but we never see her handling any stars. She is mostly restricted to observing and giving advice.

Another problem with Call My Agent is that it stays superficial and never digs deep. You get a huge hangover of Madhur Bhandarkar recent films and that is never a good sign.

In a nutshell Call My Agent is a case of looking glossy from outside but shallow from inside.

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Sex Education Season 3: A Super Follow-up To The First Two Seasons

There is a major reason why Sex Education is a popular web series and is awaited by many. It is a series which juggled many delicate issues like teen sexuality, gender identity etc, and these things are dealt in such a way that you never feel like being lectured. Season 3 not only builds on the aspects of the first two ones but it goes even further. In a nutshell Sex Education 3 is a stimulating season that will meet the expectations of all the fans.

For those who haven’t seen season 1 and 2 the series primarily followed the journey of Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield). He is a student at Moordale Secondary school. Otis is slightly ambivalent towards sex. The major reason for that is his divorced mother Jean (Gillian Anderson). She is a sex therapist who has frequent affairs but is unable to maintain relationships. Otis best friend is Eric (Ncuti Gatwa). Eric is a gay son of Ghanaian- Nigerian immigrants. Over the course of the first season Otis becomes close with Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey). She is a confidence student but her high intelligence is overshadowed by her troubled past.

Other important characters at Moordale include Adam Groff (Connor Swindells). He is the headmaster’s son who develops a bullying nature out of his own insecurity. Other important ones are a widowed plumber (Mikeal Persbrandt). Jakob and Jean start dating and that creates tensions in Otis life. Otis sets up a sex therapy business with Maeve in order to help their fellow students who have sexual problems. Their business becomes a success but conflict arises when Otis starts getting attracted to Maeve.

Apart from the romance aspect the second season had a number of new students at Moordale that challenged the status quo. You also had an outbreak called Chlamydia that caused students to question and struggle with topical issues. Also jean became pregnant with Jakob’s baby. Another important thing which happens in the second season was the Eric and Adam relationship.

Season 3 begins off with Adam Groff’s father Micheal Groff being replaced. The reason being Moordale has developed the reputation of being a sex school under his leadership. There is a new person leading the school and she is Hope Haddon. Hope Haddon is someone who takes the approach of Dolores Umbrige from book five of Harry Potter. She is someone who believes in lecturing and those who question her are punished. She enforces strict regulations. Some of these regulations are endorsing abstinence as a deterrent for unwanted pregnancies. Through all these methods Haddon is dismantling the social order of the school. The biggest highlight of Season 3 just like the first two seasons is how it deals with the female characters. There are written with lot of insight. This insight can be particularly seen with the characters of Maeve and also the pregnancy of Otis mother Jean Melbourn. The process of Jean and Jakob staying in one house and trying to make things work has been delicately handled by creator Laurie Nunn. There is also a book that Jean Melbourn is writing on sex education but at no point it comes across as uncomfortable. The journey of Maeve is another strong point. Maeve is someone who is battling issues both romantically and also otherwise. But at no point we see her complaining, there is a grace with which she handles things that is missing in Otis. Lastly the arc of Hope Haddon is also something that engages you. The character could have easily become a uni- dimensional antagonist but it isn’t. You get a sense of her battling her own demons. Through her character we see how success at her age comes with its own share of setbacks particularly if you are a woman.

With these three female characters points are made about women’s rights, patriarchy and loving oneself. An overreaching theme of Season 3 is the theme of friendship. This can be majorly seen in the bond between Otis and Erick, Aimee and Maeve. Through the bond of Eric and Otis the creators give a different spin on how male friendships are viewed in pop culture. There is a saying about how men don’t generally talk about their sexual feelings about their significant ones but here both Otis and Eric never hide their feelings from each other and that is super endearing. Similarly the way Aimee and Maeve overcome their issues and hold each other is also nice to watch. The performances of the major characters are spot on as usual but my favourite ones are Emma Mackey, Gillian Anderson and Ncuti Gatwa.

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Haseen Dilruba: An Exploration Of Love And Marriage Under The Guise Of A Thriller

Vinil Mathew’s Haseen Dilruba starts off as an investigation thriller but as the story progresses it turns out to be more than that. Vinil Mathews last film was the romantic comedy Hasse Toh Phasse. This one is a dramatic shift in terms of many things but fortunetly he pulls it off for most part.

Tapsee Pannu plays a middle class girl from Delhi( Rani Kashyap). She has done a beautician course and has certain qualities in mind that she wants in her life partner. Vikrant Massey plays Rishabh Saxena from Jwalapur, he’s an electrical engineer with a government job. His only hobby is repairing electronic items whenever he gets an opportunity. Rishabh is a far cry from the husband that Rani wants but she still ends up in an arranged marriage with him. However the marriage soon starts falling apart. One reason for that is the sexual incompatibility and other reason being the timid nature of Rishabh.

At this point you have the arrival of Neel played by Harshvardhan Rane. Neel is someone who is into adventure sports and it doesn’t take long for Rani to get attracted to Neel. Both of them have a secret relationship and that includes physical too. Things take a huge turn when Rishabh is supposedly dead in a gas explosion and Neel has disappeared. Rani is considered to be the prime suspect for the alleged murder of her husband.

The biggest reason why  Haseen Dilruba works  is due to the way Vinil Mathew portrays the various stages of Rani and Rishabh’s marriage. It swings between Intense disklike and intense love for most part.

Intially Rishabh comes across as a henpecked one but there is a sudden shift in the character when Rani reveals about her having an affair with Neel. The darker tone has been portrayed with subtlety and it never goes over the top. You only have a subtle gesture in terms of the facial features that suggest what is going through Risabh’s mind. Vikrant is good as the timid husband but he is even better when the tonality changes.

The passion that the characters share comes out very palpably and we firmly root for the couple.

The film also looks at how time and circumstances shape our actions and behaviour. There are no heroes and villains here as each character comes out with its own set of flaws. We are ultimately shown how we do crazy things for each other and to each other just because at that time we feel this is the right thing to do.

The film also talks about how men get uncomfortable when women openly choose to express their sexual drive. There are scenes in the beginning  of the marriage when Rani drops her pallu to excite Rishabh but Rishabh feels very uncomfortable.

Like most films of this genre Vinil Mathew employs the technique of going back and forth. The thriller aspect has also been done well since you are constantly guessing about what actually happened.

The thriller format isn’t something new for Tapsee but she still delivers a wonderful performance. She is someone who knows that she has flaws and has a hard time accepting them. However at the same time she has the ability to change as well. Tapsee pulls off all these shades well. Harshvardhan Rane leaves an impact in his small role. He fits the part of the handsome hunk and you can easily understand why Rani falls for Neel.

The only things which stick out are parts of Tapsee’s family. They simply dissapear when the story takes a dark turn and you are not given any proper explanation.

Haseen Dilruba isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it is worth a watch for the plot and the performances.

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Ray (Anthology): A Good Tribute To The Master Director

Satyajit Ray was not just a celebrated filmmaker he was also a man of many talents. One of his talents was writing stories. Ray anthology directed by Srijit Mukherjee, Abhishek Chaubey and Vasan Bala is a reimagination of Ray’s stories for the modern audience. It is quite a huge task on hand and fortunately the makers do a good job for most part. My most favourite one is Abhishek Chaubey’s Hungama Hai Kyon. The least impressive segment is the last one directed by Vasan Bala. Below is my brief opinion on the four films.

Forget Me Not directed by Srijit Mukherjee

Forget Me Not focuses on Ipsit Nair (Ali Fazal) who has successfully climbed up the corporate ladder. He is called as a human computer by his colleagues because of his sharp memory. He is adored by everyone around him. But things take a turn when he bumps into an old flame and start spiralling down fast. Ipsit is haunted by that girl whom he cannot remember and slowly starts getting restless and loses focus on the job.

Due to his restlessness he also gets into an accident. Initially the impression that we get is he just lost his memory, some sort of dementia but as the story goes along more things come out of the closet and the darker side of Ipsit’s personality is revealed.

That is when we realise that Forget Me Not is not about a single person. It talks about a very important thing which is the growing selfishness of young men and how they will do anything in order to climb up the social ladder. The best thing about this segment is how Srijit Mukherjee unravels the plot and its characters. This can be best seen in Shweta Basu’s role. Initially she comes across as someone who is not so important but Srijit gives a super twist to the character in the climax.

Ali Fazal nails his part of a man whose life is spiralling downwards. The madness and the eccentricity came out perfectly. Shweta Basu Prasad also does a good job particularly when it matters most.

Bahrupiya also directed by Srijit Mukherjee stars Kay Kay Menon as a clerk with an obsession for prosthetics. He is also an aspiring makeup artist who is stuck with a job and a life both of which he hates. His grandmother was a makeup supplier for Hollywood studios, when she passes away she leaves him a lot of fortune which includes prosthetics too. Bahrupiya uses a Joker kind of setting where the protagonist is pushed to doing things which aren’t exactly right. The path that he chooses leads him to do several unpleasant things which also bring him a question of his own identity.

Bahrupiya makes an interesting viewing because you get invested in the character of Kay Kay Menon’s Indrashish and the world that he is tangled in. The Joker kind of setting has been cleverly adapted and the prosthetics that Indrashish uses to fool people has been well executed.

The best part of the story is the existential question that the character faces of who he really is. Is he Indrashish or the Bahrupiya who is hiding under the prosthetics. Kay Kay Menon is at his usual best and he is successful in portraying the character’s transformation.

Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa

After two intense stories this one comes across as a welcome breather by Abhishek Chaubey. The plot is essentially a train journey and focuses on a disorder called Kleptomania. For those who are not aware Kleptomania is an impulse that results in an urge to steal. Manoj Bajpai plays an Urdu Ghazal singer Musafir. During a train journey he meets Asleem Beig (Gajraj Rao), a wrestler turned- sports journalist. As the story progresses it is revealed that it is not for the first time that these two met. Also a shocking revelation is given about Musafir before he became a famous singer that he is today.

This one rests on a thin plot but works because of Abhishek Chaubey’s treatment. The director cleverly uses the glass of the train’s washroom as a device to narrate the story. It is also a pleasure to watch the crackling chemistry between Manoj Bajpai and Gajraj Rao. Both of them are in perfect sync with each other. The Urdu dialogues muttered by Manoj Bajpai’s character are a pleasure to watch.

The dark humour will make you chuckle at many instances. The editing is also razor sharp and it perfectly complements the fast paced journey of these two. Needless to say that the two actors are in perfect form.

Spolight directed by Vasan Bala

It is easily the weakest link in this anthology. The story is about a superstar Vikram Malhotra played by Harshvardhan Kapoor. He has become a sensation just for his one look. He loves to be in the spotlight but he soon faces an adversary in the form of Didi (Radhika Madan). She is a religious leader who is coincidentally living in the same hotel as Vikram. Vikram starts feeling threatened. They eventually meet which reveals a big twist regarding Didi. This twist is the only thing which works in the story.

The biggest problem with this one is the lack of cohesiveness in what Vasan Bala wants to say. The filmy references don’t work except for a couple of ones. Harshvardhan Kapoor also doesn’t have the star aura about him to play this character. Akansha Ranjan is sincere but is let down by a haphazard characterization. Radhika Madan in her brief appearance is the only one who shines here.

Ray anthology can definitely be watched in spite of a limp ending.

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Pagglait: A Story Which Is Much More Than A Widow Who Can’t Cry

Umesh Bist’s Pagglait is set in the backdrop of a large Indian family but unlike Sooraj Barjatiya’s sugar overload Umesh focuses on the hypocrisies and the greed. There is no outright villain here, the circumstances make the characters do what they do. In brief Pagglait is a heartwarming winner which works on many accounts.

Sandhya played by Sanya Malhotra is a young widow who is unable to grieve the death of her husband Astik. A major reason for that is they never shared a close bond but things take a turn when she discovers a startling fact about him. It is revealed that Astik was in a relationship with a girl Akansha played by Sayani Gupta. They couldn’t marry as the girl’s parents didn’t approve of Astik. However the main conflict in the story comes when the family members are informed that Astik had left behind 50 lakh worth of insurance money for Sandhya alone and nothing for his parents who are hugely in debt. From here on an absurdist drama begins where the patriarchal figureheads are hell bent on keeping the money within the family. They devise various plans for that which includes trying to bribe the agent into changing the nominee name. Side by side you have Sandhya finding out more about Astik through the character of Sayani Gupta.

Pagglait touches upon many things starting from the hypocrisy of our culture. A good example of that is the character of Raghubir Yadav. He plays the role of an angry uncle who talks about Sandhya’s remarriage openly. He claims to be open minded but flinches every time her Muslim friend passes by.

In a very subtle manner Umesh shows how money is the only religion we follow. This is reflected in the schemes that the elders employ in order to keep the money within the family. Up until then there is no talk on remarriage but when they realize that Sandhya is the nominee of 50 lakh you have Rajesh Tailing’s character who wants to make Sandhya his daughter in law. The reason being he believes that the money will help his son in setting up a hotel.

The dynamics between Sanya’s and Sayani Gupta’s characters has also been explored well by Umesh Bist. Sandhya’s eagerness to know more about her husband and the bond that develops between these two comes out well.

Umesh Bist also deserves credit for not showing Sandhya as a tragic figure. There is nothing miserable or schmaltzy about the portrayal of Sandhya. Of course she is no Rani Laxmibai either. She is a regular woman leading a life of conformism who has an awakening in the midst of a tragedy.

Cinematographer Rafey Mehmood captures the Ganga ghat with all its beauty and complexity. Dialogues written by Umesh Bist are another major winner. They are both satirical and thought provoking. Arjit Singh’s music goes well with the mood of the film.

The film’s star cast lends even more weight to the film. Sanya Malhotra captures the journey off her character perfectly without missing a single beat. After last year’s Shakuntala Devi and Ludo this is another performance where the growth of the actress is visible. The surprise package of the film though is Ashutosh Rana. Known largely for his negative characters Ashutosh delivers a solid act as the morally conflicted father in – law. My favorite scene of Ashutosh is the scene with his wife where he expresses his anger on almost losing his morality. Sheeba Chadda is also good.

In totality Pagglait is well worth your time.

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The Girl On The Train: A Train Wreck

Ribhu Dasgupta’s remake of The Girl on the Train is a perfect example of how you shouldn’t add unnecessary masala. For those who are not aware the movie is based on the book of the same name written by Paula Hawkins. The book has already made been made into an English movie starring Emily Blunt. Ribhu Dasgupta takes the original source material and adds his own twists and turns. But the problem is that none of the twists are convincing. In fact it dilutes the impact of the book, which focused on the psychological trauma and the emotional abuse that the victim is unwittingly surrendering to. In totality this Hindi version feels choppy and is a huge letdown for those who enjoy murder mysteries.

The plot of the book revolved around an alcoholic Rachel who is recovering from a broken marriage and alcohol addiction. Her condition causes her to forget things in a state of inebriation. Every day she takes the train to London and passes by her former husband’s house, the husband now lives with his new family wife Anna and daughter Evie. While she is travelling Rachel catches glimpses of a seemingly perfect couple Scott and Megan from the window of her train. Things take a drastic turn when Rachel witnesses something shocking. This is the synopsis of the book.

In the Hindi version Parineeti chopra plays Mira Kapoor. Mira Kapoor is an out of work lawyer and spends much of her time drinking and obsessing over her ex- husband Shekar played by Avinash tiwary and also his new wife. Mira’s alcoholism is out of control and as a result her work has suffered. The only thing which brings Mira solace is observing a woman called Nusrat on the balcony whom she sees everyday as she takes the train. She begins to fantasize about her and slowly she gets consumed by her. For Mira Nusrat represents what she has lost. But one day she sees her with a new man and Meera suspects her of having an extra- marital affair. She feels lot of anger towards Nusrat and in a drunken stupor decides to confront her. The next day news comes that Nusrat has died and Mira becomes the prime suspect.

The biggest problem with The Girl on the Train is the director’s inability to build on the source material. This can be best seen with the characterization of Avinash Tiwary. In the book the character of Rachel’s husband’s was built very well and as a result the character’s change over into the grey zone didn’t feel abrupt. But here the character has been sketchily written. The reasons for the behavior of Avinash Tiwary’s character isn’t convincing at all.

You don’t at all understand why Shekar had to manipulate Mira into being an alcoholic. The relationship between them is hardly explored. Another thing is Shekar has an affair with another woman while he is married twice. Therefore he could have easily had an affair while he was in marriage with Mira. As a result of these factors the characterization of Avinash Tiwary just doesn’t make any sense.

The unnecessary deviations from the book don’t help the films cause either. The entire character of Kriti kulhari who has vendetta towards Mira just doesn’t make any sense. The character’s belief that her father was innocent and that Mira purposefully sent him to jail borders on naivety.

Honestly the film would have worked better if the director had struck to the original source instead of the unnecessary deviations. Because of the contrived ending and the implausible twists the emotional impact of the book is completely missing.

Parineeti chopra delivers a sincere performance and does her level best to elevate the material. Kriti Kulhari and Avinash Tiwary are let down by the poorly written characters. Aditi Rao hydari as Nursat doesn’t create any impact whatsoever. Her glazed look is a pain to watch. Others don’t even try.

On the whole The Girl on the Train is a train wreck which is best avoided.

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Paava Kadhaigal: Disturbs You But Not In The Right Way

Caste based killing is a subject that is relevant even to this day and when told in an engaging manner it gives you good results like Nagraj Manjule’s Marathi film Sairat or even Article 15, but Paava Kadhaigal (Sinful Stories) will make you lose faith in human beings particularly parents, this in spite of having formidable directors like Gautam Menon, Sudha Kongara and Vetrimaaran.  The commonality between this and Putham Pudu Kaalai apart from being an anthology are the directors Gautam Menon and Sudha Kongara. While Putham Pudu Kaalai left you with a happy feeling this anthology leaves you thoroughly depressed and also makes you wonder what was going in the minds of the directors when they decided to make this one.

The first story is about a transgender Sathaar (played by Kalidas Jayaram). Sathaar dreams of marrying his childhood friend Saravanan. But Saravanan is in love with Sathaar’s sister Sahira. Although the incidents of Sathaar being teased by village bullies are realistic, the episode feels like more of a documentary and it is also poorly structured. Kalidas Jayaram tries his level best to elevate the proceedings but it is a lost cause. This is very sad since Sudha Kongara had proved her worth as a director in Soorarai Pottru where she took on a familiar underdog story and made it work.

Vignesh Shivan’s Love Panna Uttranum is a story of two sisters both played by Anjali. We are told that one of the sisters is a lesbian who is in love with Penelope played by Kalki Kochelin. The other sister is looking for her father’s approval to marry someone outside their caste. The biggest issue here is the treatment of LGBT. This is particularly reflected in the scene where a character misreads lesbian as ESPN. It is meant to play out as a comic scene but it doesn’t bring much laughs. The LGBT thing looks more like an add on and needed more meat. The only thing which remotely works here is the character of the father who positions himself as an anti-caste leader but in reality he is not.  Anjali in a dual role is mostly there to cry while Kalki looks completely out of place as the foreigner.

Gautam Menon’s Vaanmagal sounds poetic but it is anything but that. This segment deals with sexual assault of a minor girl and how it leaves a scar on the family. The father character is played by Gautam Menon himself and the mother character is played by Simran who returns to screen after a long time. Much like the segment in Putham Pudu Kaalai Gautam Menon goes out of his comfort zone once again but this time the result is far from pleasing. The most disturbing thing about this one is the scene where we see Simran pushing her daughter from a mountain top.  Though it turns out to be not real but the thought itself is very regressive.

Vetrimaaran’s Oor Iravu stars Sai Pallavi and Prakash Raj as daughter and father. The story is in two timelines one in the present where Sai Pallavi’s character returns to the village for a supposed baby shower. The other timeline is the past where Prakash Raj’s character goes to his daughter’s house to make amends. There is no denying that the climax is gut wrenching and does jolt you but it doesn’t affect you the way that Sairat climax does. The biggest reason being too much negativity never works and since you have already had so much of negativity in the other three stories you feel like screaming at the director. Also it is tough to buy into what Prakash Raj’s character does particularly given his caring attitude in one of the timelines.

In totality Paava Kadhaigal might have started with the good intention of showing the evils of caste, LGBT prejudices and honour killings but it went totally overboard. Given the times that we live in with so much stress this film is completely avoidable.