Taramani – Bold! Hard hitting! Relevant!

Director Ram has given us two emotionally gratifying films, ‘Katradhu Tamil’ and ‘Thangameengal’ and for his third venture he has dealt with a very relevant subject of how men from all classes wrongly perceive women and realize their folly mostly when its too late. The message that Ram sets out to tell is loud and clear and that’s the strength of ‘Taramani’.

Prabhu (Vasanth Ravi) is a BPO employee who has lost his focus in life after a failed love affair with a girl (Anjali). Becoming a aimless vagabond, a chance encounter with a bold Anglo Indian girl Dia (Andrea Jeremiah) turns into love and how it is wrecked by his male chauvinist attitude forms the crux of the story which has many layers to it.

Andrea has got the role of a lifetime as a modern IT girl which she has portrayed with much restrain and intensity, making it very special. She is natural as a mother to a five year old with whom her chemistry is endearing . Her caliber as an actress comes to the fore when dealing with the men in her life with uber coolness and displaying vulnerability to the hero. Watch out for the interval block when she she has a physical altercation with the hero, easily the best actress of 2017 so far and. Vasanth Ravi makes a solid debut matching Andrea in most scenes, getting under the skin of a confused vagabond who has problems dealing with his women. Anjali in a flawless cameo conveys the feelings and transformations of her character without the help of dialogues. Azhagam Perumal as the kind hearted railway constable who helps the hero also gets a wonderful scene to shine. Adrian Knight Jesly as the little son of Andrea walks straight into your heart and stays there with his cutely alluring performance. Producer JSK Sathish makes his acting debut as a police commissioner who serves as a major plot point of the story. The rest of the actors are aptly cast.

Ram the writer-director has used a brilliant ploy to lift the screenplay whenever it sags, by using his voice over to state contemporary truths which works every time in the film. The demonetization joke in particular brings the house down. He has also not let the opportunity go to comment about the woes of TN like the encroachment of lakes, the dwindling agriculture and above all that men of all classes perceives women in much the same way. There is no doubt that men who watch this film will ponder about their cardinal sin. For the first time in Tamil cinema homosexuality is dealt in a sensitive way without judging.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music with lyrics penned by the late Na. Muthukumar are pleasant on the ears and the songs also play out as scenes which make them an integral part of the narration. Yuvan is in prime form in the background score. Theni Easwar’s cinematography adds the edge to Ram’s vision, capturing the aerial shots of Taramani in different shades and he is in his elements employing mostly closeups to cover intricate expressions. Veteran A. Sreekar Prasad has done his best to provide a smooth flow. Ram should be lauded for choosing the less travelled path and his strong social conscience gets embedded in his works which is true for ‘Taramani’ too. JSK Sathish Kumar also deserves kudos for continuously backing good cinema.

On the downside Ram seems to have infused his own character into Vasanth Ravi and for no fault of the actor, his Prabhu comes across as somewhat of a caricature especially post interval. The entire episode of the hero cheating women on the cell phone is out of place in this story. A question that sticks out like a sore thumb is how a moderately successful career woman like Andrea will ever hook up with a man of the hero’s stature which dilutes the drama towards the climax. Is Taramani only inhabited by the characters of Ram’s film is another question that pops up time and again. The second half sags to the point of boring mainly because the story deviates from the main plot. Ram cleverly sets the audience up in the first scene itself by quipping that he is tying the proverbial knot ("Muttikkum Muzhangalukkum Muduchi") between the knee and the calf, meaning that the film is what the audiences understands it to be. But alas, we are only half convinced.

Verdict: Go for it to watch a bold female character and a fairly engaging screenplay that captures the essence of modern love and life.