Attakathi

My review : Attakathi

There are few movies which makes you chuckle when you come out of the theatre after watching it. You would be feeling as if you were a part of locality & lives of the characters on screen. You would laugh with them , cry with them & in the end you would miss them. “Chennai 600028” made me feel that way. Now “Attakathi” Written & Directed by Pa.Ranjith (who is incidentally a former assistant director Venkat Prabhu who was the Writer-Director of “Chennai 600028” ) has the same effect.

Suburbs & neighbouring rural areas of Chennai have never been explored this nicely so far in Tamil cinema. Their culture , lifestyle , language , geography & transport have been explored quite extensively & authentically in “Attakathi”.  And the Venkat Prabhu brand of casual movie making makes the viewing a pleasant experience.

The story is nothing novel or great to write about but it is the simplicity of the presentation & sincerity of the approach that makes the movie get an instant connection with the viewers. And the director has tried to be honest & genuine in his screenplay. Instead of having a crowd-pleasing climax, the director has gone with how it is in real life, which is bound to create a good impact in the final analysis.

When one watches this movie , he/she is bound to have fleeting flashbacks from their lives. Atleast one or two sequences from this movie might have happened in our lives. The manner in which when  guys fall for a girl they misinterprets each and every actions of hers’  which in turn reinforces their beliefs until the realization dawns have been portrayed really well. Also shows how nowadays guys don’t bother much about love failures & they move on with their lives.

Dinesh is the protagonist who has made his debut with this movie but he acts like a professional. No one would believe that it is his first movie. The effortless ease with which he has shown myriad of emotions augurs well for his future. Nandiths as Poornima is homely with an earthy face. She too has done her part well. Actually though almost all actors in the movie are newcomers, all of them have done a very good job acting casually & naturally.

Song “Aadi pona avani” is a nice “gana” song after a long time. With easy lyrics & simple tune, it does stays in one’s mind for a very long time even after the movie has gotten over. “Aasai oru pulveli” is a good melodious number. New comer Santhosh Narayanan is the music director. He however needs to learn how to do background score. In many places the loud background music drowns the dialogues. He should learn to use silence judiciously.

Dialogues are another strong point of this movie. They are simple yet witty. There are numerous oneliners few of which makes one smile & other laugh out loud.

P.K.Varma is the cinematographer & he has explored the Chennai suburb’s landscape well. Technically the movie is good with tasteful CG work at appropriate places.

Ranjith has made a promising debut as both writer as well as director. Though there are Venkat Prabhuisque touches here & there , Ranjith has succeeded in stamping his mark with “Attakathi”. Another example of  a movie made with simplicity & honesty that is going to rule the box-office this year.

On the whole, “Attakathi” is a refreshing tale of many heartbreaks after which the protagonist finally gets his due told light-heartedly.

Bottomline : Sharp

3.5/5