On a comeback trail - Pillaiyaar Theru Kadaisi Veedu
tale with a twist
A wastrel of a son, a younger sis who keeps putting him down, a loving mother and a strict dad — clichés, all of them! Actually the first hour of Pillaiyaar Theru Kadaisi Veedu (U) only gives a sense of déjà vu. But the final sequences are suspenseful. Just as you begin to laugh it off as usual melodrama, comes a twist to the tale. And the sudden shift to serious mode catches you unawares.
Writer-director Thirumalai Kishore, a first-timer, scores with a story that's strong and narration that's reasonably intelligent. Intelligent in the sense, when you begin to groan expecting a duet to be the direct fall out of the hero's romantic overtures, Kishore doesn't place it there. And when you start feeling the ennui of a third solo of the hero, the song is cut short to a single-stanza quickie! The climactic sequences are emotional, yet you aren't subjected to theatrics! And thankfully, the wailing is kept under control.
Jiththan Ramesh has taken his own sweet time to return to tinsel town after a spell in hibernation but his choice of PTKV for his re-launch is judicious. Performancewise, he has come a long way from the days of Jiththan, Madhu and Jerry. The role offers him enough scope to display a gamut of emotions and he utilises it well. Also you find a vast improvement in his diction. It is obvious that the hero has worked hard on the role. And his footwork and flexibility in the ‘Pillaiyar Theru …' and ‘Osiyilae Sarakkadichu …' song sequences are commendable.
Sanchita Padukone — you last saw her playing Vijay's friend in Vaettaikkaaran — gets her expressions right. The dusky damsel could go places in Tamil. A highpoint of the film is Ilavarasu's portrayal of a cantankerous boozer. Suri's comic capers fall flat. But he makes a mark in the climax. So does Maari, the physically challenged friend in the group.
The mother's outburst on seeing her son after a long time is rather odd — it's not that they haven't seen each other after he left the house — they have, and even then she doesn't sob as mush as she does when she meets him the second time! Contextually, Ganesh's sad demeanour is understandable, but her emotions, especially when she doesn't know what's in store, are confounding. Otherwise, Thulasi, who plays the role, does a neat job of it. This sister of Sakalakalavallavan Kamal Haasan has taken eons to stage a comeback.
The logic in showing Ramesh as a T. Rajendar fan beats you. If it is meant to tickle, it doesn't. The line, the ambience and the attitude of the various characters have an old world feel about them — PTKV can pass off as a film made in the 1980s or 90s.
Pillaiyaar Theru Kadaisi Veedu is probably the most irrelevant title you've come across in recent times. After all it's about a happy, well-knit family that faces problems, which they think are because of a girl.
Genre: Family drama
Director: Thirumalai Kishore
Cast: Jiththan Ramesh,
Sanchita Padukone,
Ilavarasu, Jayaprakash
Storyline: The hero and
heroine get married under
not-so-happy
circumstances, and life isn't
going to be smooth.
Bottomline: The usual and the
not-so-usual.
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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