PANNAIYARUM PADMINIYUM MOVIE REVIEW

Vijay Sethupathi is back immediately after his 'Rummy' with 'Pannaiyarum Padminiyum', the debut venture of S.U Arun Kumar of 'Naalaiya Iyakkunar' fame. Made as a YouTube short film originally, the debutante director has developed it into a full-length feature film, which narrates man's affection with his first vehicle. The short film gained lots of recognition, but can S.U Arun Kumar replicate the same success on a bigger scale, with the same material ?

Vijay Sethupathi, naturally blends into the script and has delivered an earnest performance. He definitely reminds us of 'Super Star' Rajinikanth's image in the 80's period. Vijay makes use of the right scenes, which he can score and score, he did ! He's just too comfortable as Murugesan, the lovable driver chap. Also, he shares a fantastic chemistry with Jayaprakash, which is evident in some of the second half sequences. Iyshwarya Rajesh pairs up with Vijay Sethupathi once again, and if she goes on to choose the right scripts, she's definitely a talent to watch out for. Iyshwarya is breathe of fresh air indeed, among the glut of nonnative actresses. Balasaravanan rocks as Peedai, and he seems to be a natural talent in comedy. His timing and expressions are just perfect enough for the scenes, and he does not over-do his lines, even by an iota ! The next big thing comedy artiste ? Hope so ! The film definitely belongs to the lovely senior pair of Jayaprakash and veteran Thulasi. The cute relationship of an old couple, was so beautifully enacted by both artistes, its definitely not an exaggeration to say that, they must have lived their roles ! Portrayal of mature romance is too few in Tamizh cinema, but this undoubtedly stays as one of the best, so far. Neelima Rani, Mahadevan and etc make up the rest of the cast with decent cameos by 'Attakathi' Dinesh and Sneha.

Moithen handles the costume designing and he has done a nice work, especially with the main lead characters, who resembled their social status and demographic class. Also, it has to pertain to the era of the early 90's, which Moithen did not fail to realize. C.S Balachandar's production design was very apt for the script, because of the nativity the script demanded. The props of a rural village head's home, were the highlights which shows the good background work done by the art director, in correlation with the late 80's and early 90's era. Sreekar Prasad, scores brownie points for his editing pattern, which holds our attention of the characters. But the editor should have dealt with the unnecessarily over-stretched running time, which further slows down the already, slow pace of the screenplay. For a multiple National Award winning editor, his vast experience could have come in handy. Debutante cinematographer Gokul Benoy makes a very promising entry with 'Pannaiyarum Padminiyum'. The way he presented the lovely Fiat Premier Padmini, as a character itself, speaks volume of his talent. Also, the interior shots and the meticulously handled, lighting and top-angle shots used for those shots, were just class ! 

Music is handled by another debutante, a very young Justin Prabhakaran. His compositions are full of melodies, and he definitely has a good future in Tamizh cinema ! "Enga Ooru Vandi" was sung by kids and has plenty of montages and has the Padmini as the main protagonist and her relationship with the villagers. Gokul Benoy's lens captures the barren landscape, very beautifully. "Pesuren Pesuren" is one of the most well conceived song picturization in recent times. It was shot on Vijay Sethupathi and Iyshwarya, with a funeral backdrop. The setting is of somber mood, we can feel the joy and love of Vijay Sethupathi, captured well by Gokul with plenty of close-ups. "Kadhal Vandhucho" is another song shot on this young pair and has a few montages, with good camera movements. The pick of the lot is definitely, "Unakaaga Poranthene" shot on Jayaprakash and Thulasi. The lovely song had even lovelier montages showing the beautiful relationship between the senior couple. Most of the shots were taken indoors, yet Gokul's camera work does not evoke any repetition. A similar track, "Enakaaga Poranthiye" features as a bit song and was shot on Vijay Sethupathi and Iyshwarya. "Aaraaro" is a pathos song, which highlights the separation of the vehicle from the family. Though Justin did a great work with the songs, he could still improve with the background score. Though melodious, some portions could have had a more mellow touch to it. He's obviously inspired by Raja sir, and he sure can learn a lot from the maestro's rerecording as well.

It is good to see that a young chap such as S.U Arun Kumar has the ability to handle the subject of a mature couple's love for each other, in a splendid manner. Also, he must be appreciated for scripting a subject which has no antagonist or any characters with negative shadows. S.U Arun Kumar handles the intricacies of relationship very well and he definitely extracts the best from his artistes, with his clear vision. The humor quotient is not forced and grows organically, along with the screenplay. Besides that, its nice to see that S.U Arun Kumar is a lover of old-fashion, which has its own poetic charm and essence, which was evident in the way he staged some sequences. But the film is not without its pitfalls. The depth of the film's script, is definitely very shallow and it is an arduous task to turn a 10-minute video into a full-length feature film. Added to that, the film has a slow narration and though it works well for the script, it might bore some audiences, who are lovers of fast screenplay. Also, S.U Arun Kumar could have avoided inserting unnecessary melodramatic and sentimental scenes, which looks forced and acts as mere speed-breakers. A more concise screenplay, would have done more good than harm to the film. But despite all these minor drawbacks, 'Pannaiyarum Padminiyum' is a welcome relief for us and has a feel-good, lovey-dovey element throughout the film.

'Pannaiyarum Padminiyum' - Charmingly and sweetly, old-fashioned.


Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL