Oththa Seruppu Size 7 - One Man show of intelligence
Over the years Radhakrishnan Parthiban has earned a name as the quintessential innovator in Tamil cinema who never fails to throw a surprise on the audience. In 'Othttha Seruppu Size 7' the writer-director-producer-actor has attempted a single man single location act that is striking in its novelty and an intelligent screenplay. Whether this experiment will work with the general audiences remains to be seen.
A murder has been committed by strangling with a shredded glass-coated kite rope and the cops have hauled in a middle-aged suspect Masilamani (Parthiban) who has a terminally ill pre-teen son who is also in police custody. The film begins with the start of the interrogation by a Deputy Commissioner and an Inspector. They and the audience slowly get to know a multi minded sometimes comical, sometimes tragic, retarded one minute and brilliant the other character who may or may not be what he is saying and how he is projecting himself. The rest of the screenplay is the answer to whether he committed this and other murders or not and what happens to the child told in one of the most unique styles ever in South Indian cinema.
Parthiban is the only actor on show here while the others are just voices and one recognizable is that of Gayathrie who has played Masilamani's wife Usha and credit to her that the character gets well registered as an economically backward lower-middle-class woman. The next is the DC who comes as an honest cop which helps the hero and the screenplay to achieve what they want. Coming to Parthiban his body language and his experience comes to his aid to bring to life the character of Masilamani to perfection and the masterstroke here is that he has played him as an unreliable man that adds to the intrigue. Parthiban scores in the last fifteen minutes when the control shifts from the cops to him and there is also one emotional scene in which he reminisences a deep betrayal.
What works best in 'Oththa Seruppu Size 7' apart from the one man show is the mystery surrounding the murders and why the hero keeps confessing to more and more crimes that has a satisfying answer in the end. Parthiban the writer has threaded his script with a lot of detailing in the dialogues and the props that stamp his authority in those areas like for example the significance of the size seven slipper that forms the crux of the entire story. The core theme of an ordinary man exploiting the loopholes in the legal system exactly in the way the powerful do and get away with it is largely gratifying as well.
On the downside Parthiban's acting becomes monotonous after a point leaving one to wish that some other actor like a Kamal or a Vijay Sethupathi could have had a better connect with the audience and also elevated the film to a higher level. One can take the example of Oscar Winner Mel Gibson who played the lead role in 'Brave Heart' but when he had to do a 'Passion of Christ' or 'Apocalypto' stayed behind the camera and still ensured that his signature is on them. Even Parthiban himself made 'Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam' his best film on par with 'Puthiya Paathai' that did not have him in the cast. Another grouse is that Masilamani's wife's character is unnecessarily showed in a bad light when it does not alter the final outcome of the story. These type of films thrive better if there are many clap worthy moments which are much lesser than desirable here.
The second hero of 'Oththa Seruppu Size 7' is the sound designer who has made the presence of the other characters felt without showing them onscreen. Cinematography by Ramji and the background score of Sathya C are major assets. Kudos to the writer-producer and director Parthiban for once more attempting the unusual and as always doing his bit to elevate Tamil cinema to the next level.
Verdict : Go for this unique attempt by Parthiban that will not only give you a new cinematic experience but also keep your brain exercised.
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