Directors: Sudha Kongara, Gautham Menon, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Rajiv Menon, Karthik Subbaraj
Cast: Jayaram, Kalidas Jayaram, Urvashi, Kalyani Priyadarshan, M.S. Bhaskar, Ritu Varma, Shruti Haasan, Anu Haasan, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Andrea Jeremiah, Gurucharan, Leela Samson, Bobby Simha, Muthu Kumar
Seeing Jayaram as Rajeev and Urvashi as Lakshmi in the first film Ilamai Idho Idho of the anthology, brought a smile to my face. The couple is so effortlessly in tune with their acting and one cannot help but go ‘awww’ at their blossomed romance. This is a pair whom we have seen and loved on the screen over the years, and to see them again playing the roles of an elderly couple falling in love, was like a breath of fresh air. Equally beautiful were their younger versions portrayed by Kalidas and Kalyani. The actors were totally in sync and the small nuances of living together in a lockdown was portrayed well. This breezy romance between two senior citizens was all kinds of fun with some lovely acting tipped to foot-tapping music. Watch out for a unique twist in this short by Sudha Kongara.
Avarum Naanum – Avalum Naanum by Gautham Menon explores the strained relationship between a grandfather (an amazing M.S. Bhaskar) and a granddaughter (Ritu Varma). As the lockdown forces the two to be in the same house, a wonderful relationship blossoms and old wounds heal. I found the reasoning behind the strained relationship a bit flimsy, and some back story would surely have made more sense. Sweet moments are sprinkled in this short. Particularly adorable was a scene when M.S. Bhaskar, a retired scientist, barges into his granddaughter’s Zoom meeting taking up for the Tirunelveli man who is being yelled at by the boss. There are instants which make us nod our heads in recognition, and that is where Gautham Menon leaves a mark.
Coffee, Anyone? by Suhasini Mani Ratnam, is the story of sisters coming together to visit their comatose mother. Kathadi Ramamurthy plays the practical father. The elder daughters (Suhasini and Anu) deal with their own issues and attempt to get their little sister (Shruti Haasan) to make her peace with their mother. There are nice minutes peppered in this drama but nothing to write home about.
Rajiv Menon’s Reunion stars Gurucharan C. and Andrea Jeremiah as estranged school friends who are reunited during the lockdown. Andrea, a drug addict, spends time with Vikram (played by Gurucharan) and his mother (Leela Samson), and their compassion heals her and makes her want to get clean. There is no judgment but only friendship and some reminiscent teenage love in Reunion. A few parts in this short were not believable, and the few other parts were sober on emotions.
Finally, the best of the lot for me, was Miracle by Karthik Subbaraj. With his quintessential slapstick dialogues, Subbaraj brings to us the story of two thieves (Bobby Simha and Muthu Kumar) who are hit by the lockdown. As the two come upon some ‘miracle’ cash in a heist, we also encounter a godman who speaks of miracles, and a filmmaker who is struggling to make his movie. In a style that is completely unique to him, Subbaraj ties the three characters with amazing twists and some apt Ilaiyaraaja music. Watch out for the scene where the thieving duo are raiding an office for money. A tyre plays spoilsport. The acting is fun, and the dialogues make you LOL every now and then.
What makes Putham Pudhu Kaalai (streaming in Amazon Prime), different is the feeling one gets while watching an ensemble cast and some great directors’ names on our TV screens. The lockdown has not been kind on Tamil cinema, but we will always have some movies to catch up on!
Rating: 2.5/5
