Gopi Nainar who became famous after filing a plagiarism case against the blockbuster film 'Kaththi' is finally making his debut with Aramm joining hands with lady superstar Nayanthara as a firebrand district collector taking on the corrupt forces. The film touches many relevant social issues and poses important questions to the powerful but where it wins is by never losing focus on delivering an engaging screenplay which is evidence of the directors tight grip on the medium.
The story starts with an inquiry by a senior official on a suspended district collector Madhuvanthini (Nayanthara) who reveals through flashback the events that put her in trouble. Rams and Sunu Lakshmi are an impoverished couple who has a preteen son (Kaaka Muttai Vignesh) and a five year old daughter Danshika living in a water starved village near the famous Srihari Kota. Even as the collector takes step to temporarily solve their water problems Baby Danshika accidentally falls into a narrow 146 feet abandoned bore well hole. Whether the protagonist can take hard decision against her stand as a government servant and help rescue the child alive or not is told in a realistic and nail biting screenplay.
Nayanthara is complete mass as the no nonsense collector. Her majestic appearance and gait bring thundering applause from the crowd and her hard hitting dialogues against the establishment is worthy of any mass hero which she pulls off with elan. The role may not have needed a Nayanthara but the film does and kudos to her for choosing it as the relevant messages will surely reach a much wider audience thanks to her star power. Rams who has played the thug or a murderer in films like 'Naan Mahan Alla' and 'Sathuranga Vettai' is very effective as the emotional father of the child who maintains a tough exterior but carries love for his family on the inside. Young Sunu Lakshmi in the beginning of the story effectively conveys the helplessness of a mother from the lower class who know the talents of her son, but could not do anything to help him achieve it. After the child falls into the hole she is very natural in her highly emotional breakdowns and reactions. Pazhani Pattaalam a popular face on the television comedy circuit is brilliantly used as the voice of the common man by the director and he has a field day even showcasing an emotional side during the climax. Kaaka Muttai Ramesh as the elder son whose passion is swimming has a key role in the film while Muthuraman as the fire officer, Rama Velappan as the MLA, Kitty as the senior bureaucrat and the rest of the actors are perfectly cast.
Though the core screenplay is about rescuing the child from the deep hole the writer, director also uses it as a tool to shed light on many issues like how the deep interior villages are neglected, the looming threat of drinking water drying up permanently and the need to bring in a law to criminalize negligence that claims many lives (151 to borewell holes alone). He has beautifully drawn parallels about the rocket getting ready to be launched spending hundreds of crores while the rescue of a life is attempted with just a rope.
On the downside shots of the mass moments on Nayanthara are a little out of sorts in the otherwise realistic film. The screenplay drags a bit in the second half and a question that sticks out is whether the collector is truly justified in risking the life of another.
Ghibran's background score is one of the backbones of 'Aramm' while Om Prakash makes one feel like he/she is also into a parched land . Ruben’s cuts are perfectly in rhythm with the beats of the screenplay and enhances the realistic feel most of the time. Gopi Nainar has shown nothing short of brilliance in executing his screenplay in an engaging manner while delivering his many messages clearly to the audiences. Truly award worthy.
Verdict: Go for this wonderfully crafted film that is thought provoking as well as engaging
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