Cast: Suriya, Vijay Sethupathi, Parvathy, Remya Nambeesan, Prayaga Martin, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Yogi Babu, Arvind Swami, Bobby Simha, Aditi Balan, Rohini, Delhi Ganesh, Revathi, Prakash Raj, Prasanna, Nedumudi Venu, Atharvaa, Anjali
Directors: Bejoy Nambiar, Priyadarshan, Karthick Naren, Vasanth, Karthik Subbaraj, Arvind Swami, Rathindran R. Prasad, Sarjun KM, Gautham Vasudev Menon
Language: Tamil
Roudhram
Roudhram, based on the emotion ‘anger’ and directed by Arvind Swamy, opens with a visual montage of a coastal city, presumably Chennai. There are numerous references to fish and seafood in this colourful montage that paints a striking picture of the lives of the common folk dwelling in the region. Perhaps it is fitting to mention in this context, that Arvind Swamy doesn’t come off as a fish out of water in his maiden directorial venture. Along with Payasam, Roudhram possibly ranks as the best made film in this anthology. The protagonist is a teenager named Arul (Sree Ram) who is arrested for assaulting a loan shark with a sledgehammer. While he relates his story to the cops, we learn that he has anger management issues. This sequence is intercut with scenes featuring Rythvika as a senior police officer. Do the two characters share a connection? Was Arul’s anger that prompted the attack justified? There is a terrific twist in the end that answers a lot of these questions. The film’s biggest win is probably how we, the audience, seethe with anger ourselves at the end of it all when we learn the full story.
Inmai
Inmai, directed by Rathindran R Prasad and starring Siddharth, is perhaps the most frustrating film of the lot. Frustrating, because it had everything going for it till the very end when an unnecessary and weak twist played spoilsport. The story, themed on the emotion of fear, revolves around a wealthy woman named Waheeda (Parvathy), who is paid a visit at her palatial home by Farooq (Siddharth), an employee in her company. Waheeda and Farooq, who share many common interests, immediately form a bond. Things take a turn for the worse though when Farooq indicates he might not really be who he claims to be. Waheeda too seems to harbour many dark secrets from her own past. There is a flashback sequence that has supernatural references and helps set some context for the scenes set in the present. But sadly, the weak twist undoes all this great build up, and what we’re left with is an underwhelming affair that could have been so much more.
Thunintha Pin
Thunintha Pin, directed by Sarjun KM (of Echcharikkai fame) and starring Atharvaa and Kishore, is based on the emotion of Veera or Valour. Atharvaa plays Vetri, an army man who is attached to a contingent tasked with monitoring Naxalites. The film has a terrific twenty-minute stretch where Vetri is tasked with transporting an injured Naxal prisoner (Kishore) alone through a dense forest trail. Vetri knows danger lurks everywhere around him and the trees literally seem to have ears. His prisoner’s constant taunts don’t help one bit either as he struggles to maintain his poise in the face of adversity. Will Vetri keep his steely resolve and complete the dangerous task assigned to him? Or will the Naxal leader be able to break his confidence and escape? Thunintha Pin is underrated and has been camouflaged inadvertently by other heavyweights around it in the anthology. This gritty film deserves a watch.
Guitar Kambi Mele Nindru
The final film in the series is Gautham Menon’s Suriya starrer Guitar Kambi Mele Ninru. Based on the emotion of Romance, this film is positioned as a throwback to many of GVM’s classics from the past. Suriya plays Kamal, a musician who is so frustrated by the music scene in India that he wants to move abroad. This is until he has a chance encounter with Nethra, a young vocalist. Shot almost as a musical with some memorable tunes from Karthik, the film includes all major tropes that we have come to associate with a GVM film. There are bikes, guitars, and long, starry-eyed conversations between the lead pair that often feel stilted. While a Suriya character playing the guitar is sure to evoke memories of Vaaranam Aayiram, Guitar Kambi’s story actually turns out more like Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya’s. Sadly, the writing lacks the punch of VTV, or for that matter Vaaranam Aayiram. Taking liberty for a musical pun, after an elaborate build up, Guitar Kambi Mele Nindru ends on a rather ‘flat note’!
Rating: 2.5/5
