Bucolic milieu laid bare -- Paruththi Veeran
IMPRESSIVE LEAD PAIR: Paruththi Veeran
Paruththi Veeran
Genre: Action
Director: Ameer
Cast: Karthi, Priya Mani, Saravanan, Ponvannan
Storyline: When villagers go berserk ...
Bottomline: Violence that gnaws you!
The texture of `Paruththi Veeran' (U/A) is coarse. Its people are sometimes too insular and even fanatical. But behind the crude and unpolished characters, is the genuine depiction of village life, far removed from the finesse and sophistication of the city. After the path-breaking `Ram,' story, screenplay, dialogue writer and director Ameer enters the fray with new hero Karthi. No hero in the recent past has done such a heavy role in his debut. Studio Green has offered it to him and the actor handles it with the expertise of a seasoned artist. Callous and cantankerous, caring and comical, Karthi gets into the skin of the character convincingly.
They are an intelligent yet angry lot. Their unity and presence of mind in times of crises are admirable. Yet the villagers feel solutions lie only in violence. So murder and mayhem are everyday occurrences and gore is unavoidable. All the same, when graphic pictures of gang rape and killing in cold blood dominate, things becomes too much to stomach. At the end of it all, Ameer only creates the impression that village folks as a whole are a belligerent lot.
Incarceration and getting out on bail are a matter of routine for habitual offender Paruththi Veeran (Karthi). It is wry humour when he honestly says his aspiration in life is to be imprisoned in a city jail! Things go out of hand when he responds to childhood friend Muthazhagu's (Priya Mani) overtures. It's a major break for Priya Mani.
Muthazhagu's fate will haunt the moviegoer's mind for long. Laurels to Priya Mani for her effort — she proves very effective in expression, enactment and voice modulation. Her encounter and exchange with Paruththi in the final scene is heart-rending. She looks beautiful even without her face made-up and that gives her portrayal an added lure.
True images
Hero of a few films of the past, Saravanan re-emerges in a different mould this time as the wastrel uncle of Paruththi Veeran. A noteworthy show! Ponvannan who plays Priya Mani's father has lived the role, you could say. And that applies to other characters too. As they have been chosen from among villagers who have little knowledge of cinema, the veracity of their portrayal adds charm. Who is this new face Sujatha (Muthazhagu's mother)? She projects anxiety, tension and fear of her husband very naturally.
Ramji's lens navigates through the heat and dryness, and also the fun and frolic of the village, creating images, both vivid and colourful.
The village festivities are interesting for a while but when they continue without respite you get restless. That goes for quite a few of the villagers' song-dance scenes. Such protraction makes watching `Paruththi Veeran' weary. Yuvan Shankar Raja proves he is a chip off the old block in rustic music too. Jackson's art is another plus.
`Paruththi Veeran' transports you to the era of classics in a rustic ambience, Bharatiraaja style. The `Ariyaadha Vayasu' song in Ilaiyaraja's voice adds to the feel. That maker Ameer has done exhaustive homework for his story is clear. He takes you through the remote, rural South along with his cast and crew. So authentic is the presentation. A graphic picture all right, but is such brutish roughness necessary?
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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