Pattiyal

I can't remember when i last spent a "dry" Sunday. Last night was one, and i and my friend were thinking "Pattiyal better be a good movie. Sobriety and a bad movie is a sure recipe for disaster on a Sunday night". And Rs.90 for a 50 bucks ticket was on the higher side.

While Kollywood is yet to catch up with Bollywood in terms of scripts, thematic variety and censorship qualities, we see glimpses of promise here. I haven't seen Vishnuvardhan's debut Kurumbu and i doubt i will. Arindhum Ariyamalum, i thought, would fall into the "not bad" or "timepass" category. Pattiyal shows a lot of promise.
I heard someone tell me that this flick, along with Pudhuppettai, was based on City Of God. Of course, the theme and the setting are inspired from COG [even the ending is similar, in a tragically ironic depiction of the cycle of life and crime]. Arya [Kosi] and Bharath [Selva] are Surya-Deva friends. Unlike Thalabadhi, their friendship has a solid reason and ground for existence. They live in the cradle of crime - North Madras. Pay money, will kill is their motto. Padmapriya [forgot her screen name] is Arya's girlfriend, works in a garments export shop owned by the lecherous Gautam, and also likes being told "Veliya podi" by Arya everyday. Arya is a battled hardened pro who feels falling in love is a liability and tries to act uninterested in Padmapriya but eventually succumbs to bilogical urges, induced by a combination of an item number and a persistent Padmapriya. Arya can rarely be seen without a "quarter" in the movie. Bharath is deaf and dumb and interestingly doesn't share Arya's appetite for booze. After Kaadhal, i thought Bharath was better than Vikram and he has proved it once again. Restrained in most instances, erupting when he has to, he is learning his trade very well. Actresses like Pooja show that there is life for heroines in TFM beyond being just merely objects of sexual gratification [onscreen and to the public] like Trisha et all. She plays Bharath's love interest. Cochin Haneefa plays the sly double-crossing "govt office" middleman who brings the duo their deals. The dude who was seen in Azhagiya Theeye and Ponniyin Selvan, plays an innocent-looking tea kadai payyan. We see him as a guy who would do virtually anything to get out of the tea shop routine and make a quick buck. Bharath and Arya decide to make one final hit, a big fish this time, and then call it quits then. Matravai neengal velli thirayil kandu magizhungal. Yuvan is not at his best and yet he gives a creditable score. To me, "Namma kaattule", rendered by The Maestro is the pick. Editing is coming of age in Kollywood, inspired or not. The picturization of the song where all 4 main characters go for an outing [see pic above] not only helps with the pacing of the movie, it also evokes a few laughters.

Baddies:

• Only in the world of Indian movies would you see people living in a crime infested kuppam looking [and for the most part talking Thamizh] like BPO executives. This sugar-coating, or "sexing up" is something which is a curse, especially in stylized movies today. Lay it bare, rip it open, let dirt look like dirt, and let the people be like real slum-dwellers, rowdies and their girlfriends.
• In the world of Pattiyal, there are no cops. Intentional maybe, but still.....
• Padmapriya tries hard but the fact is that she is totally unconvincing as Arya's girlfriend. All directors would do well to go to Raajkamal office for a half-hour session on how to make an actress act, outside her comfort zone. Remember "Annalachumi" in Virumaandi?
• Dialogues, man. Why can't we learn from bollywood? Guess the fucked up censor board scares the shit out of dialogue writers here.
  
• Arya has been praised by everyone for his performance in this movie. In my opinion, it is Bharath who is emerging as an actor with promise.
  

Udhayam theatre has DTS alright, but the sound quality was definitely not top class. They don't seem to be unduly concerned. Gives more credence to the news doing the rounds that the complex is going to be demolished soon.

Updated:
One scene i loved in the movie was the one where Arya and Bharath play soccer with their mates. The director makes a shoddy job of showing them play but suddenly, in slow-mo shots, we see the two of them having a mock "fight". Dunno about others but i kind of liked it very much.
I'll let you in on the secret of the Selva/Kosi pair's success. They ride the ultimate machine - Suzuki Shogun. The Shogun beat is the next best sound to Sachin's willow hitting leather.