'Poraali' (Tamil)
Director: Samudrakani
Cast: Sashikumar, Allari Naresh, Swathi,Vasundhara, Nivedha, Jaiprakash, Ganja Karuppu and Soori
The teaming of actors-directors Samudrakani and Sasikumar has always led to a different experience for the viewers. The variation they bring in is not so much in the style or in the adapting of any contemporary trend of storytelling, but in the concept and in the content of the plot.
It may have backfired like in ‘Easan’. But by and large, it has worked out for the duo. ‘Poraali’, which Samudrakani has scripted and directed, and Sasikumar has produced and played the lead in, is one such off-the-routine fare that engages you for the most part.
The struggle of two men Kumaran and Nallavan, to eke out a living in the city, forms the core of the plot. Working at a petrol bunk, Kumaran hits on an innovative idea. Getting into the business of making door deliveries for a small price, it is about the transformation it brings in the duo’s lives, the changing relationship with their neighbours, the women in their lives, and the past casting its shadow.
All narrated with humour, sentiment and action. As the reticent angst-driven Kumaran, Sasikumar gets to sport two different looks. He brings out impressively the various nuances of his character. A perfect foil is Naresh as Nallavan (a strong comeback after ‘Kurumbu’), who makes an impact in the moments where a terrified Nallavan battles his inner demons. The colony has some interesting characters with their own quirks, who add to the humour quotient.
The women get their space too - whether it’s Bharathi (a cute Swathi) whose dislike for Kumaran turns to affection; or the gutsy rural belle Selvi (a very impressive Vasundhara) who fights his cause.
The flashback of Kumaran and his avaricious relatives could have been trimmed. If it’s Ganja Karuppu who regales us as the duo’s slippery friend in the earlier part, it’s Suri in the latter. The plight of the mentally challenged at an institution and the callousness of the relatives is touching and insightful. The finale fight is well choreographed. Shifting his ambience, bringing in multi characters and issues, the script may seem a tad loosely etched at times, unlike his earlier ‘Nadodigal’. But Samudrakani manages to get his grip back on the narration, knotting it all up into a fairly engaging whole.