Paava Kadhaigal

Anthology Mini Series | 2020 | Netflix Originals

          Paava Kadhaigal, a Netflix anthology web series and the first in Thamizh directed by top Kollywood directors Sudha Kongara, Vignesh Shivan, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Vetrimaaran falls on the lines of Pride, Love, Sin and Honour respectively. Paava Kadhaigal is a small example of how fantastic and different storytelling experience could be when four diverse filmmakers join hands to give their take on these themes. Each episode is a movie of its own and gives a unique take on their stories and characters by the filmmaker through their perspective. 

Thangam – Pride

Sudha Kongara | Shanthnu Bhagyaraj, Kalidas Jayaram and Bhavani Sre

          Sudha Kongara’s Episode with Shanthnu Bhagyaraj, Kalidas Jayaram and Bhavani Sre in the backdrop of Retro Coimbatore region. Easily Thangam is the best of the four in terms of pre-production and detailing. Right from the accent, houses, costumes and names, every aspect was on point. Playing the role of a transgender, Sathaar is easily Kalidas’s career-best performance. The plot explores the ill-treatment of a person who is different from the rest with a pinch of Hindu – Muslim touch and a shade of LGBTQ. Dialogues were added positives and brought tears on many who watched especially in the pre-climax sequence. Kalidas’s convincing performance, Shanthnu and Bhavani’s supporting roles to convey the motive made an impact. 

Love Panna Uttranum – Love

Vignesh Shivan | Kalki Koechlin, Anjali, Padam Kumar

          Vignesh Shivan’s Episode with Kalki Koechlin, Anjali, Padam Kumar explores the takes of Love in a dark humour genre. Though the plot deals with honour and stereotypical mindset, it was beautifully wrapped inside the classy Vignesh Shivan’s touch. Anjali’s duel role variation and Kalki’s subtle yet powerful acting were added positives. Anjali’s father and his men gave a contrasting and out of the box innovative experience when compared to the other pieces of the series. although the film had a lot many swearing scenes, it was always in the humour side worked pretty much among the audience in midst of heavy contents. The scenes were well built and never seemed forced into the plot. Anjali’s dialogue ‘It’s love Dad, it just happens’ was an eye-opener and not just her dad but gave a slow yet impactful mark on the audience to accept love irrespective of differences. The episode had a ‘Venomous Bastard’ experience.

Vaanmagal – Sin

Gautham Menon | Gautham Menon, Simran and Aditya Bhaskar

          Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Episode with himself, Simran and Aditya Bhaskar in lead reiterates faith and shows how a family especially a mother who undergoes ‘Sin’. A complete rural package from a filmmaker who has always given us classy urban stories was refreshing to watch, especially seeing him in Veshti (Dhoti) and shirt. Set in the backdrop of Madurai, the plot deals with a middle-class Thamizh family who meet with a tragedy and how each person respond to the after event keeping in mind their bond with the victim, the society, victim and relatives. Beyond the theme, the story explores a variety of beautiful family bonding and gives a subtle opinion on what is more important. The film pretty much had a lot many intense scenes with wasn’t that comfortable watching on screen, yet is one of the much needed in recent times. The music blended with the story seamlessly and give strong backing to the story just like any other Gautham Menon film. Ignoring a pinch of artificial Gautham Menonish English accent in the rural setting, the film is definitely a must-watch. 

Oor Iravu – Pride 

Vetrimaaran | Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi and Hari Krishnan

          Vetrimaaran’s Episode with Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi and Hari Krishnan shows us the story of a father who comes back to his pregnant daughter who had eloped two years back and got married to a lower caste guy, takes her back to his village to arrange for a baby shower function. Oor Iravu is a stand-alone example of cinematic brilliance. A simple story with minimal character and setting, but conveys the conflicting emotions between the characters and the bond between them. the film maker’s convicting is evident on every single frame of the film. Out of the four films, this was the one with the least background score backing, the episode conveyed the story through brilliant acting and single-take shots. Known for his gitty and raw film making techniques, Vetrimaaran has once again proved himself as one of the finest filmmakers in the country. Prakash Raj’s acting naturally convincing and added more emotions to the story narration. Sai Pallavi, on the other hand, stood as a key to the story progression and pulled off the pregnant lady role convincingly.