A young breed of filmmakers is emerging in Tamil cinema, keen on setting new technical standards. Bandi Saroj Kumar is one more addition to the list of directors striving for technical excellence.
His maiden venture 'Porkkalam' is a marvel to watch. The cinematography, stunts and sound engineering provide a fresh feel and almost match the world standards.
But the black and grey shades with more slow motion shots find it difficult to engross us. Also the director has concentrated more on the technical aspects missing out on the content. He seems to have missed out on the story which hampers the flow of the film. Unbelievable script and needless stunts are eyesores.
At the same time, he deserves accolades for choosing an apt star cast. His choice of artistes for lead roles is interesting and evokes interest. Be it Kishore or Sathyan, they stand up and deliver. Saroj Kumar has tried some experiments in the movie. The result one has to wait and watch.
The movie is all about Karna (Kishore), who spends his life with his cook-and-friend (Sathyan) in Chennai. Sneha (Smitha) manages to run from Andhra Pradesh where she is forced to marry local don Dronam Raju (Sampath)'s brother. She takes refuge in Karna's house in Chennai.
The do-gooder Karna's life takes a turn when Sneha falls in love with him. The latter sends her back to Andhra. A twist in the tale occurs when it is informed that Karna is blind but has learnt to be like any other person. He is good at detecting sound and even practised shooting well aiming a target.
Now Karna decides to go to Sneha's rescue. He goes all the way to Andhra and fight all the goons of Dronam Raju which is all but gore and blood. Eventually all is well that ends well.
Kishore is impressive in the role. His trim physique combined with strong and stubborn looks adds pep to his role. Impressive is Sathyan who manages to evoke laughter. Smitha has nothing much to do and so are the gang of baddies including Sampath, Tinu Anand and Lal.
Had the director concentrated on the story and made it more interesting, the movie would have been a different one that would be admired and adore. But at the same time, Saroj Kumar can be appreciated for trying some thing honest and sincere on screen.
Porkkalam - High and low
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