Star Review (2024)

How do you take a very cliched genre/setting and make it interesting? Elan takes the "poor guy struggling for a dream" and makes it very interesting by mixing up the order of such a well-known genre.

If we are used to seeing a "getting prepared/training" montage before the big final bang, Elan keeps something similar in the first half itself. If the interval bang in such a genre is usually a small win or a positive diversion, the interval bangs here (preceded by a scene, which acts like a pseudo interval scene by itself in terms of BGM and Dialogue) is a big fat tragedy (kind of like Animal). If the big quest in the first half was the realisation of talent (an external trait), the quest in 2nd half is the realisation/overcoming of an internal scarring/trauma.

Acting wise, Kavin and Lal take the majority accolades as expected. But Aaditi Pohankar in the 2nd half, swiftly takes away all attention.

She is extremely brilliant and luminous, and adds a sense of beauty/innocence to the serious proceedings. Her dubbing could have been better but the acting makes up greatly for it. In one scene, where a particular action reminds her of her childhood trauma, when the perpetrator of it comes near here, she very quickly moves back. It isn’t given much focus but adds such a beautiful touch to her character who is otherwise just an addition to the “Oru aanoda vettri pinnadi, oru ponnu iruka” stereotype, though she is quite well written and has her own reasons for whatever she does.

Something that Kavin says in the first half is exactly what Aaditi’s character tells back to him after the aforementioned tragedy that takes place. The even more impressive thing is the layering of the physical trauma and internal trauma. We first think that Kavin’s Kalai is only impacted physically by the tragedy and hence has changed. But after a significant portion of time, we realise that he has been scarred internally as well, during a confrontation with his father. It is only when he overcomes both these that he finally is able to achieve his dream.

His realisation that he has done something that his wife has always been scared of is quite marvellous and self-aware and the very fact that he is sorry and guilty of what he did, in impulse, connects us with him even more deeply.

The way the Female Kalai dance sequence is shot is also very fascinating. We see the dance in an “edited” way, with the audiences cheering for him (we also see silhouettes of the audience dancing while he is on stage) and this creates the impression of him being on screen, which again makes complete sense as to why Surabhi likes him so much (her life changes after what he says during this sequence).

A pivotal event in the first half is when they meet an actor who had just gained fame in his first film as a comedian. In the 2nd half, we unexpectedly meet that character but now he is in a poor state. He states that only talent isn’t satisfactory for a person; he needs something more too to succeed in the industry. We realise this at the interval tragedy and finally when he gets a chance in a big director’s film.

The scene where Surabhi and Kalai go to Kalai’s ex Meera’s marriage is also very deftly written. After wishing her and all, as Kalai and Surabhi go, Meera thanks Surabhi (talking privately to her) and in turn Surabhi, she only has to thank to Meera. It is such a small exchange but it adds so much weight to the both their characters. Meera’s relationship with Kalai starts in their college and she is forced to breakup with him as he is in recovery due to his quite selfish outlook, post the tragedy. But when she thanks Surabhi here, we realise that the breakup was as painful to her as it was to his, and conveys her gratitude to Surabhi for taking care of Kalai during such a tough stage. It is to Elan’s credit that he doesn’t end up making her a, “Pombalainga na ipdi than” victim and gives her reasons and motivations to step back from the relationship.

Definitely one of the best films of this year (sad because this is a very dry year).