What's our crime?
few saving graces From Paththu Paththu
What could have been a
taut crime thriller touches
the nadir of depravity
with crass item
numbers, and titillating overtures
in the name of dance, in
this story of an oversexed wife
and her middle-aged husband.
Advertised as a crisp twohour
narration with six main
characters where none is hero
or heroine, Paththu Paththu
(A) did raise expectations originally.
But the moment a flabby
Sona enters to flaunt her assets
unabashedly in the opening
song sequence, your first
thought is to grab your bag and
leave! Choosing an actor who
has a figure worth showing off
is the least writer-director
Sathyam could have done.
To be fair to Sathyam, his
thought process reveals some
innovation. But the deplorable
screenplay damages `Paththu
.' no end.
Film director Subbu (`Thalaivaasal'
Vijay) is killed at
10.10 p.m. (hence the title). His
body is found lying in the house
of Valli, a lawyer. Just the previous
evening Subbu has seen
his seductive wife (Sona) in a
compromising position with
his friend's son, and the
shock is too much to bear.
But the wife shows no remorse
- in fact she contemplates
killing him. Subbu
goes out in frenzy and gets
into a scuffle with a goon.
Then there's the thief who is
seen at the scene of crime.
The whodunit line could
have galloped on at breakneck
speed, if the four (!)
unwarranted gyratory exercises
in the name of dance
had not acted as spokes in its
pace.
No point in listing the
loopholes. They don't make a
difference either way. But it's
sad to see actors such as
Krishna, who've made a mark
on the small screen, going
through the motions in insipid
roles.
Suffering through Paththu
. isn't just exasperating. It
makes you livid. Just two
things about the film are
laudable - its length, and the
portrayals of `Thalaivaasal'
Vijay and Bose Venkat. Absolute
waste of effort and time!
Paththu Paththu
Genre: Thriller
Director: Sathyam
Cast: `Thalaivaasal' Vijay, Bose Venkat
Storyline: A murder and the police team's futile hunt for the killer .
Bottomline: Do I have to spell it out?
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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