PARADESI ('"CAN WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW?")

Cast: Adharvaa, Dhansika, Vedhika.

Director: Bala.

Paradesi is the adaptation of a translated book Eriyum Panikadu which is based on real life incidents that took place in Pre Independence India.

Adharvaa plays Ottaperukki,  a simpleton who lives with his grandmother. Vedhika plays Angamma, his love interest. Adharvaa along with a lot of people from his village is taken on a contractual basis to work in the British owned Tea plantation. Dhansika who is a single parent is also working there.

What  happens next?...Well, nothing much!

The initial 15 minutes of the film is so beautiful with Adharvaa clearly showing all of us why he is an actor to watch out for! He is amazing. Equally wonderful is Vedhika who is such a delight to watch perform. The romance between them has been pictured wonderfully well by Bala; GV Prakash Kumar aiding him with a really good song.

But the sad part is it all ends there. After that it’s the same old Bala film with people being tortured, oppressed and cheated. You would mostly yawn your way through the rest of the film.

Cinematography, art direction, make up and costumes are really good but all that does not compensate for the trite below average content. The only good thing about the film is the performances by all the actors. Bala has done a wonderful job extracting that kind of perfection performances wise.

Iam giving a 1.75/5 for Paradesi. Paradesi is a tragedy film; the content is not what is tragic it is the film rather!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2 to 2.25                      -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

3 to 3.25                      -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Great.

4 to 4.25                      -           Exceptional.

4.5 and above               -           Extraordinary.

                                                                    

VATHIKUCHI ("NOT SO FIERY")

Cast: Dhileban, Anjali, Jayaprakash, Sampath, Jagan.

Director: Kinslin.

ARM comes up with his second production after Engeyum Eppothum, this time again bringing one of his assistants as The Director.

Vathikuchi deals with the life of a share auto driver Shakthi (Dhileban) that gets entangled with that of 3 others’; Sampath (a goonda), Jayaprakash (a merchant) and Jagan ( a salesman). Anjali plays Shakthi’s love interest.

Director Kinslin has come up with a very nice concept with social relevance in Vathikuchi. Dhileban does a decent job to do justice to the concept. There are some interesting sequences throughout the film. You will like the fights if you are willing to overlook the unnecessary use of ropes in majority of them.The BGM is decent. The cinematography is good but the shabby work by the colouring department (even if intended) makes the visuals not so pleasing to the eye.

Though the idea of linking Sampath, Jagan and Jayaprakash to Shakthi is nice the screenplay lacks the content to make it look natural. Anjali and all the songs have been included for mass appeal but that along with some other unnecessary scenes really take the juice of what could have otherwise been a juicy thriller.

Some scenes like where Shakthi runs away from the goondas to get sleep, food and exercise appear to be way too logical (or silly), yet some other scenes like where Shakthi gets repeatedly hit on the head and yet keeps fighting appear to be way too devoid of logic.

But as said earlier Vathikuchi has it’s moments, though in parts.

Iam giving a 2.75/5 for Vathikuchi. A tighter screenplay would have made it a much better thriller.

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2 to 2.25                      -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

3 to 3.25                      -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Great.

4 to 4.25                      -           Exceptional.

4.5 and above               -           Extraordinary.