It is difficult being different in typecast Kollywood. The entrenched set-up doesn't allow you to take chances or experiment. It takes one-pointed monkishness to do your own thing. But Selvaraghavan is luckily one. As we saw in Kadhal Kondein, he has a brooding streak in him and is ready to plough his own trail. With 7 G Rainbow Colony he proves that our assumptions about him are not misplaced.
Here he has taken a very difficult, and dare one say a taboo subject, and given it the veneer of acceptability. In a nutshell, to accept this film one needs to throw away one's hypocrisy and misplaced prudishness.
It is also subject that needs deft handling --- like a tightrope artiste he had to be careful with his steps; one wrong move, he would be down on the ground. In this rites of passage story, Selvaraghavan has probed enigmatic human emotions. It is a realistic narration of the happenings in the life of a middle class youth, who yearns and craves for a rich girl.
The story goes like this. Ravi Krishna, the elder son of Vijayan is an irresponsible youth, who bunks classes, fails in his exams, go behind girls and freaks out with his friends. Upon ridiculed by his father, he picks up a fight with him. At this moment enters Sonia Agrawal. Her family (a North-Indian one) takes up the flat 7G in the Rainbow Colony. As usual Ravikrishna like any other youngster in the area tries to impress her. He repeatedly goes behind her and cuts her name on his hand and tries to impress her with greeting cards and letters. But everything is futile.
He develops an inferiority complex and goes into a shell. Upon realizing his sorry fate, Sonia steps in to solve all his problems. She motivates him to come up in life and helps him find a job. The latter half is all about Sonia Agrawal falling in love with Ravi Krishna and her efforts to hold his hands in support. However, a series of events in their lives finally separate them and that makes the heroine to take a momentous decision in her life.
Debutant Ravi Krishna, son of producer A M Ratnam, plays the hero. He fits the next-door boy image very well and considering that it is his debut film, he needs a special pat for his performance.
Be it flirting behind the girls, antagonizing his father for chiding him, acting smart to impress the girl next door or getting mentally depressed at his lover's death, this young lad has come up trumps.
Not far behind is Sonia Agrawal. Though her character seems to be an improvisation of her role in Kadhal Kondein, she does it with ease. Especially towards the climax when she decides to share the bed with her lover, she has given her best on screen. She is indeed a screen-stealer in the movie.
A realistic portrayal of characters is the highlight of the movie.
With able support from Yuvan Shanka Raja and cinematographer Aravind Krishna, Selvaraghavan has succeeded in leaving a lasting impression in 7G.
A few dialogues, which one may find hard to digest, and a lengthy climax are the handicaps for the smooth flow of the movie.
All said, Selvaraghavan deserves praise for trying out an unconventional theme and pulling it off with elan.
More than anything else, the film is not run of the mill. This is certainly no pallid pastiche of songs and fights and if possible some story.
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