Poraali Review

They have a passion for rendering meaningful movies. From `Subramaniapuram' till `Eesan', they came out with films that leave an impact with the masses. Joining the list is `Poraali', from the famous Sasikumar-Samuthirakani duo.

The title may mislead you. For, it is a movie that is more than action or a revenge plot. It speaks about human emotions, however in a familiar way.

Director Samuthirakani presents the lives of four individuals. He narrates their passion, aspirations in style. Sasikumar is the pivot around whom the whole story revolves. He brings solidity and dignity to the role.

Tollywood's `Allari' Naresh plays second fiddle to Sasikumar and carries the role with substance. The first half is set in Chennai and in total contrast is the latter part that unfolds in a rural village.

The movie begins with two youngsters, Ilankumaran (Sasikumar) and Nallavan (Naresh), who come from a village to settle in Chennai to make a livelihood. The two are noble-hearted and ensure that they go hammer and tongs to help everyone around.

They manage to get shelter at the compound where Pulikutty (Kanja Karuppu) lives. The place houses many interesting families who have their own problems, but live their lives in an interesting way. All these are narrated in a hilarious manner.

Both Kumaran and Nallavan get a job in a petrol station and thanks to their hardwork and sincerity, they win the admiration of the properitor. There is Bharathy (Swathy), a group dancer in films, who lives in the same compound. A good samaritan, Kumaran slowly wins the admiration of one and all.

Bharathy falls for Kumaran's noble ways. Kumaran too reciprocates her love. When all things go well, there's a twist in store. A gang of men with sickles arrive from a village and the chase begins. They madly run behind the two. Eventually the identity of Kumaran and Nallavan is revealed.

Sasikumar's charm and aura is prevalent all through. He burdens the whole responsibility on his shoulders and delivers a decent performance. His dialogue delivery is awesome. Though his role seems to be an extension of what he did in `Nadodigal', still Sasikumar manages to give a distinct look to it.

`Allari' Naresh compliments Sasikumar well. Swathi seems to have graduated a lot since her `Subramaniapuram' days. She is chirpy, bubbly and has limited scope in the story. Vasundhara plays a cameo and she suits the role to a T.

Jayaprakash does a short but a strong role. After a long interval, both Ganja Karuppu and Parotta Soori get meaty characters to do in this film.

 Sundar C Babu seems to have relived `Nadodigal' music. Especially numbers like `Yaar Ivan.' and the theme music sound familiar. Kathir's cinematography deserves a special mention. He brings the right variation in terms of lighting and tone in capturing the city life and that of the events in a village.

Dilip Subbaarayan's pacy stunt choreography and RK Nagaraj's art direction steal the show. However `Poraali' does suffer from some minuses.  A lengthy second half with jerks in narration and too much blood and gore could have been avoided. The climax takes us on one de ja vu ride.

On the whole, `Poraali' provides sparkling moments that will linger in our hearts.