SAIVAM MOVIE REVIEW

Director A.L Vijay had a horrendous time with his last release 'Thalaivaa', is back in action but with a small budget film, produced under his own home banner, Think Big Studios and A.L Alagappan. 'Saivam' is intrinsically weaved around the message of vegetarianism and its conveyed through a lovely theme of familial bonding. Can A.L Vijay strike gold this time after continuous debacles with big budgeted, top heroes' films ?

What works for 'Saivam' is the ensemble of fresh faces in the casting, which was a terrific move from A.L Vijay. The casting is so perfect, and though a couple of them come from the small screen, they do not bring their theatricalities to the big screen, and have adapted well to A.L Vijay's insightful characterizations. Veteran Nassar leads the way as the patriarch of the Karaikudi-based family, and it has been a while we have seen this fantastic actor donning a elegant yet majestic role. Aiding him is the heartbeat of the film, the ever charming and lovely Baby Sara Arjun of 'Deiva Thirumagal' fame. She has a beautiful screen presence with her angelic face and shows more maturity in her performance. Besides them, a plethora of artistes such as Kausal, Ravi, Rajalakshmi, Kalyani Natarajan, Suresh, Lakshmanan Ganesh, Vidhya, Shakti, Suchitra, Luthfudeen Baashaa (impressive debut from the younger son of Nassar), Rahul, Twaraa Desai, Ray Paul, George Mariyan, Malathi, Vittal, Savithri, Shanmugarajan, Rahil Singhi and etc, added more authenticity to the story and its setting. 

Pallavi Singh handles the costume designing and she has done a commendable job, especially with her background checking of the Chettinadu folks and their wardrobe. Also, she gets it right with characters depicted coming from city. Action choreography is done by Manohar Verma and his work befits the need the script and the situations present in the screenplay. Art direction is by V.Selvakumar, a regular in A.L Vijay films, and he has managed to bring to life, the Chettinadu people and their Karaikudi lifestyle, precisely in the film. The minute detailing work such as the various props (baskets and etc) pertaining to people of that community alone, deserves special mention. Editing is by Anthony and his there are no gimmicks with his cut. Every shot is crisp and neat but at the same time, perfectly complemented A.L Vijay's story presentation. The film would not have been as good as it is, if not for the works of Nirav Shah. His cinematography is just top-class, and the most commendable shots of his, are the interior shots, especially for the night sequences. Also, his framing and camera movements captured and elegance and old-world charm of the Karaikudi town so well, it just transports us to that cute town, in an effortless manner !

G.V Prakash Kumar's music is very refreshing and this film is one of his best in recent times. "Moments of Life" is the theme track and plays during the opening credits. "Ore Oru Ooril" depicts the relationship between grandpa Nassar and his granddaughter Sara, within their own lifestyle, with many montages. The pick of the lot, "Azhagu" sung by Uthara Unnikrishnan, is charming song and is shot on the entire family. It has fantastic lighting work by Nirav Shah, which gives us a resplendent feel and look to the song, which was shot in a Chettinadu home. "Kokkara Kozhi" is a situational song, which comes at a very pivotal moment, right before the climax. G.V Prakash Kumar's background score complemented the script very, very well and his separate score for the respective characters' different episodes, should be commended. 

What works for the film is the genuineness and sincerity in A.L Vijay's writing, together with the good understanding and portrayal of the Chettinadu people and their lifestyle. Everything is narrated in an subtle manner and there's nothing pretentious in the presentation. The film is full of feel-good sequences, and though most of them are gems, there are one or two, which goes a little melodramatic. Emotions are beautifully handled in the film, and A.L Vijay's scene composition brings out the effect, even more beautifully. Dialogues are very crisp yet powerful in their own way. A.L Vijay deserves a pat for portraying the dramas and issues faced by the large family and how each one of them differs from the other in thoughts and views. Strong characterizations added more finesse to the script, which keeps us engaged, though the plot is very simple. A.L Vijay's advocacy of vegetarianism is evident in the climax, but the reasoning falls flat and the changeover of the characters in the end, looks forced and artificial. The movie might not click well with some audience, due to the absence of the 'commercial elements' but there are plenty of good humor, very smartly woven into the script by A.L Vijay. Nevertheless, 'Saivam' is still a very beautifully crafted light-entertainer, with heartwarming performances from the cast.

'Saivam' - A.L Vijay's best written & crafted film, thus far !


Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL