Saivam

My review: Saivam

Vijay's "Saivam" is one delightful movie that is refreshingly simple and endearingly thoughtful, all at once. It is a perfect recipe for a family outing on a Sunday afternoon. First things first, Vijay must be appreciated for attempting a movie which breaks away from the traditions of a mainstream Tamil movie. "Saivam" is by no means an offbeat venture, it is hardcore mainstream with protagonist, antagonist, romance, drama and suspense. Only difference is that the protagonist and the antagonist are actually kids and drama and suspense is centered around a missing rooster. 

Though the pace seems constant in each and every Vijay movie be it an action thriller, or a period romance or a dark comedy. But for the first time he has found a script suited to his pace of story telling. "Saivam" is told in a perfect pace and keeps you engrossed to the screen. There is lucidity in the screenplay and each and every character is crafted with precision in taking the story forward or complete. And every character plays their role to perfection except may be the protagonist Tamil, who behaves, talks and acts way more than what is expected of her age. 

Though Sarah Arjun is adorable as Tamil, her over-the-top characterization may be off-putting for some. Maybe Vijay could have made her role more subtler but in his endeavor to make it the proponent of his message he ended up having it in the way it has. Nasser is terrific while the kid who plays Sravan, Ray Paul steals the show. He is rocking in his performance. The largely unknown support cast have done their parts with aplomb. 

G.V.Prakashkumar could have done a better job with his background score without taking recourse into the cliches. "Azhagu" is a mellifluous number amazingly performed. Nirav Shah has once again shown that one need not have a large canvas to show the mastery on screen. Even simple landscapes and ordinary people can be a worthy fodder for some great camera work. 

On the whole, "Saivam" is Vijay's best so far, a well conceived and deftly crafted movie that has simplicity in it's heart and sincerity in it's brain. 

Bottomline: a pleasant lullaby 

3.5/5