Nxg

BIG SCREEN

Movie: Angadi Theru

Cast: Magesh, Anjali

When a script revolves around real life incidents, it is not an easy job to convince people about its credibility. The story of the film, “Angadi Theru”, is the intersection of two real life events. It’s about the miserable lives of the workers in one of the famous stores in T. Nagar and the way they are treated. There are also many short stories with simple messages woven through the film — the life of a physically challenged man and his wife; the self-confidence and determination of a blind old man; and the circumstantial emotions of a pair of lovers leading to unexpected consequences.

Reflection of reality

A story cannot be completely copied from real life. It can only be adapted. So the changes that the writer makes decide the fate of the film and the subtlety involved in conveying the truth matters a lot. Vasantha Balan who has already proved his mettle with “Veyil” has come up with a very gutsy effort. The film begins with a series of unfortunate events that shock the viewer. One of the incidents leads the main character into the store, accompanied by his friend. This is where he meets his soul mate. The two men initially work in the godown and later are shifted to the sales floor. Venkatesh is excellent as the supervisor and he makes the audience swear at him. It only signifies the depth of his performance as he dons a negative role; that of a man who deprives women of their dignity and men of their bones.

The selection of a director for the role is a master stroke, credit to Vasantha Balan. While most of the supervisor’s cruelty is brought out by intense dialogue, one feels a few have missed the ‘beep’, specially taking into account the U certificate. Some of the dialogues are brilliant and the metaphorical expression is exceptional. There is also a crucial reference to the well known fact: “words once spoken are sharper than a knife and cannot be withdrawn”. The amount of effort in canning each scene is clearly evident on screen.

All good

Everybody’s performance is fantastic. Anjali in the lead has essayed her role brilliantly. Even her father who comes for just about a couple of minutes triggers an instant tear due to his helplessness. It is very good news that there is no lip sync for most of the songs and the song sequences are effectively used to move the narrative forward. The visualisation is impeccable. There is no doubt that the film is very heavy but the U certificate invites everyone mainly to create awareness about the sufferings of a major set of people. Bottomline: A very realistic tale. Keep up the good work Mr.VB.

ABHINAV PRASHANT, Ist Year, Civil Engineering, SRM University

Popularity: 1% [?]