ANGADI THERU REVIEW, ANGADI THERU MOVIE REVIEW

ANGADI THERU REVIEW, ANGADI THERU MOVIE REVIEW

After recording the journey of a loser with Veyil and reaching sunny heights, Vasantha Balan takes a bow with Angadi Theru produced by Ayngaran International. This film is long overdue and the expectation levels had almost reached a crescendo thanks to Balan’s previous repertoire. And the Cannes fame director has not let down his audience in Angadi Theru.

Angadi Theru as the name indicates is all about a market or a bazaar street which is a constant in almost all the cities and towns. This time around Vasantha Balan has chosen to travel in one of such busy streets in Chennai, the Ranganathan Street and document the lives of people there focusing more on a famous shop called Senthil Murugan Stores. It is not only the noise and goods of a market place but he takes us through the lives of a thousand souls as well.

Jothilingam alias Lingu (newcomer Mahesh),

though a bright boy is forced to fend for his mom and sisters after the untimely demise of his dad. He gets recruited to go to Chennai to work for the famous Senthil Murugan Stores along with close buddy Marimuthu. As expected life is not rosy in Chennai and they are thrown into a dismal work ambience. From the dorm they stay to the food that they are given, everything is in a deplorable condition and a completely inhuman boss makes their life all the more miserable. In the middle of all this, Kani (Anjali), a senior in the stores and Lingu get affable after initial unfriendly vibes and love eventually blossoms amidst a cruel atmosphere. Angadi Theru is about how these two survive in a concentration camp like condition and what happens when fate perpetually smiles very cruelly at them.

Kudos to Vasantha Balan for portraying the happenings in a big store with brutal candor! Violation of human right seems to be the order of every day in the stores where thousands shop daily. The work culture (is there one?) is extremely pitiable and our heart goes out to the workers. There is also sexual molestation as a punishment exploiting the economic conditions of the workers. Amidst all this, Balan attempts to show survival instincts which are extremely vital in such a setting. It breaks our hearts when the workers are not even allowed to take rest room sojourns. Even the basic expression of love becomes such a feared one which leads to the suicide of a girl. Nevertheless the director has also conveyed an optimistic message that life will continue to flow amidst any circumstance.

Angadi Theru is an eye opener to all those who are on the rosier side of life. Jayamohan’s razor-sharp dialogues lend the right kind of support to the narration. The dialogues spoken by the road side beggar who marries a dwarf and delivers a dwarf baby is one such instance. Vasantha Balan is successful when our heart jumps with joy with the bashing the Hitler like supervisor Karungali receives from the hero. Director Venkatesh who has portrayed this role is sure to be at the receiving end when he gets out.

Newcomer Mahesh needs to work on his emoting skills a lot. He appears very stiff in many scenes. Commendable performance from Anjali (Katradhu Thamizh fame)! The girl looks every bit her role with an impressive gamut of emotions running through her face. Sure to watch out for! Newcomers form majority of the cast and are satisfactory. Sneha lights up the happenings in a small cameo

Music is scored by Vijay Antony and G V Prakashkumar. Lyrics of Naa Muthukumar render the right feel especially in Aval appadi onrum azhagillai number. Kadaigalai Pesum is a smooth melody tuned in by G V Prakash which showcases Chennai at night. Richard M Nathan who had worked with K V Anand makes his debut as cinematographer and has worked in tandem with the mood of the film.

Director seems to have slackened his grip on the narration in the initial part of post-interval session. The background score and music could have rendered some more support to Angadi Theru. Although the film is a realistic recording of life in a market place, the proceeding becomes a tad too heavy and a craving for some pleasant scene surfaces.

The next time when we visit a market place, we are sure to stop for a while and muse perhaps a few moments about the life of a seller who has sold us a few mundane items. Thanks to Vasantha Balan!