SAATTAI MOVIE REVIEW

A film based on schools and children is not new, but its been quite some time since we saw a good one, notably after 'Pasanga'. M.Anbazhagan, a former associate of Prabhu Solomon has come up with one and this time, the attention is on a dilapidated, old rural school. Produced by his mentor, M.Anbazhagan has chosen a towering presence, in the form of Samuthirakani, in order to play the revolutionary and visionary teacher, who is hell bent in making a change to the fate and life of the schoolchildren.

The biggest strength of the film is the role of Dayalan, played by Samuthirakani. His powerful,  yet subtle performance comes in for big praises, because he raises above the mediocre and less substantial other characters involved in the film. He fits in to the role, beautifully and his dialogue delivery is superb. Eager to see more of him in acting roles ! Thambi Ramaiah as the antagonist was sadly an irritation, with his over-acting and high pitched dialogue delivery, and also with a ridiculous wig ! 'Junior' Balaiah makes a comeback through this film, and has portrayed a neat role. 'Black' Paandi does what he can do best, with his funny and loud comedy sequences. Yuvan, Mahima, Swasika and the rest of the cast fills up the big casting list, essential for such a script.

For a small budget film, this movie has some decent technical outputs. P.R Ganesh, has done well with his costume work, especially in highlighting Samuthirakani differently, to make his character standout from the rest of the cast. M.K Leen's stunt was good enough for the script. Vairabalan has done quite well with the art direction department. His props and setting of a very poorly managed school. Be it the old and creaky props or the more decent and presentable cultural show and felicitation ceremonies, his art work was very natural and fulfills the requirement. R.Nirmal was okay with his editing, but he could have done better with in the climax and pre-climax build-up, which was a little jerky. M.Jeevan's cinematography work, brought out the true mood and color of the rural-school setting, and also good close-ups to capture the emotions and expressions of the characters. D.Imman, who has a good combination with Prabhu Solomon, does a decent job for Prabhu's associate as well. "Adi Raangi" is a good emotional number, with most of the song shot in montages and based on Yuvan's character yearning for the heroine's attention. There were many close-ups, good angles with good sceneries as the backdrop, which captures the mood of the song well. "Nanba Vaa, Nanba" is a montage song featuring the character played by Samuthirakani, in his reformation process, in educating the school kids. The song has plenty of locations and sequences, which highlights the life and times of rural school students. "Andhurundai" is situational song, shot on the backdrop of a cultural event, taking place in the rural school portrayed in the film, with many students performing amateur dances. "Sahayane" is the pick of the lot, a soothing, melodious song sung by Shreya Ghoshal. It was picturized in a montage sequences, from the point of view of the heroine's infatuation with the hero. "Jada Jada" is the situational climax song, with montages featuring the school students preparing to face the examinations.

M.Anbazhagan, should be appreciated for bringing up such a theme, which highlights the downfalls of today's society, in relation to the education sector, in precisely, rural-schools. His dialogues are big plus because without substantial and powerful dialogues, no actor can bring out a good performance and M.Anbazhagan has placed Samuthirakani on a very good platform, to perform. Some of the scenes, where well brought out but was definitely a little overdone. The message M.Anbazhagan intended to convey through this film, is noble but it goes very preachy at times and gives a more sentimental and melodramatic moment rather than a thought-provoking touch. The director could have worked out better with his characterizations because, in order to glorify the role of Samuthirakani, the rest of the cast were subjected to lesser importance or of substance and depth to their character. It would have been more compelling if the others were given proper roles to play.

'Saattai' is a decent film with a decent message for the viewers, when it comes to the education quotient of current school-going kids, especially in the rural side. Not bad for a time-pass.


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL