Savarakathi - Sharp
The trailers of 'Savarakathi' would have prepared the audiences for a quirky "Mysskinisque" which apart from his fans may not have excited many. Debutante director G.R. Aditya has however made a solid debut extracting riveting performances from his cast and elevating his brother's screenplay with visually compelling story telling.
Pichai (Ram) is a somewhat wily barber who takes pride in his work that has been handed over to him by his forefathers. His much pregnant wife Subadra (Poorna) is stone deaf but is blissfully unaware of it. The couple along with their school going son and daughter travel on a bike to a North Chennai temple where Subathra's brother is secretly marrying his sweetheart. A car grazes the bike and Pichai falls to the ground and is ridiculed by his family and he angrily pulls up a fight with the people in the car who happen to be a bunch of deadly gangsters headed by a madcap Manga (Mysskin). The incident sparks off a chain reaction that leads to Manga baying for Pichai's blood and starts to hunt him and his family. Did Pichai escape the madman or not forms the rest of the screenplay filled with laughs, surprises and many touching moments.
It would sure sound like a cliche but that is the truth that Ram has lived the role of Pichai and has brought him to life not only through the constant agitated behavior he exhibits but also in moment of soliloquy when he is on the run. He is an absolute delight when going full on high decibel to Mysskin but later when he sees that he is outnumbered and starts running. In the violent climax tussle he is at his best when he draws inspiration from his children and fights back. Poorna has got a once in a lifetime character of a stone deaf pregnant woman and has done full justice to it. Her tone switches to lovey dovey when talking about her brother and then turns mocking when her husband fails and she even uses expletives often (Muted by the censors). Most of the comedy scenes are provided by her and you can be sure to see her on many awards list next year for Subathra. Mysskin as the madcap Manga is another revelation and in the hands of a director other than himself he is more effective though he reminds one of other characters he has played. But on the whole he is the sharpest edge in the triangle. Mohan as Bethappa the uncle of Mysskin the gangster with a golden heart, Sangeetha Balan as the mother of the girl who marries Poorna's brother and the entire cast have rendered impeccable performances.
What works most in 'Savarakathi' is the comedy that arises in many a dark moment in the film. For example, Ram hiding in a garbage bin shivering in fear for his life when a rag picker without even noticing him rummages for plastic bottles and an astrologer calls up Ram to warn him about Mysskin coming after him but the deaf Poorna answers the call. There are many scenes of emotional highs like Sangeetha Balan cursing the unknown boy who marries her daughter and what she wished for is what she gets. The dumb waiter who inspires Ram, Sangeetha Balan forgetting about her daughter to save a pregnant woman and the climax fight in which the 'Savarakathi' takes center stage are goosebump raising instances. The birth of a child and the birth of a bunch of unlikely heroes is well punctuated in the end.
On the downside all the characters are Mysskins and all have the same dialogue delivery and modulations. It would have been much more effective if some individuality had been written for especially Ram and Poorna. The logic too takes a back seat as to how an ordinary man and a pregnant woman with two small children can pull the wool over dreaded gangsters and keep escaping. The "Myskkinisque" pacing could pose a problem for some sections of the audience.
Debutante V.I. Karthick has mostly repeated Mysskin shots (pardon the many references but unavoidable) and we will have to wait for his second film to judge his own pattern. Arrol Correli too has sprinkled up a now familiar you know what sounds which gel very well with the rythm of the screenplay. The rest of the technicians have served up beautifully with special mention due to the action director Dinesh Kumar. Mysskin is responsible for the screenplay and has delivered a never a dull moment fare and even though there are a lot of shouting and going around the story progresses amidst the mayhem. As mentioned earlier G.R. Aditya in spite of working under the shadow of his illustrious brother shows an assured grip on the medium and is a welcome entry to Tamil cinema.
Verdict : Go for this well crafted and unpredictable zany ride
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