Express Views
Director: Julian Prakash
Film: Ilami
Cast: Yuvan, Anu Krishna, Akhil, Kishore, Ravi Maria.
A romantic action flick, Ilami is set in the 18th Century, against the backdrop of ‘Vadam’ Jallikattu, a forgotten traditional sport of rural Tamil Nadu. With a remote hilly terrain as backdrop, where we get to see a sparsely populated village with a few huts, any set design seemed hardly necessary. There is not much of detailing of the period either, like the strange rituals and costumes that we, at times, get to see in period-flicks. The debutant director has maintained simplicity both in his scripting and narrative style.
The film opens with a brief narration on the different forms of Jallikattu or bull taming, the most dangerous being the ‘Vadam’ style which the film depicts. Nine men take on the bull,
the winner earning not just the respect of his clan, but land and paddy too. The opening scene sets the tone for the events to follow. And it’s these scenes of the taming of the bull that form the best moments in the film.
Veeraiyan, the local bigwig, had a bull that was his pride and a daughter Ilami who had a love affair going with Karupu, a youngster from the neighbouring village. And when an issue develops between the villages, it’s the sport of Jallikattu that would decide who would get the girl.
The screenplay is fairly neatly crafted. The pace is leisurely as probably life was in those times! There are some interesting moments like the encounters between Karupu and the army chief (Kishore) of the Madurai ruler; and the scene where Karupu puts his life in peril as he tries to get honey from a beehive.
Yuvan as Karupu plays his role effortlessly. Anu (she had played Vijay’s sister in Kathi) has the girl-next-door look and is expressive. The villain of the piece here is the wily and brash Puli played effectively by ‘Kalloori’ Akhil.
Towards the climax, the plot takes a violent gory tone, a scenario not for the faint hearted. Taking up less than two hours of viewing time, the film offers a different viewing experience to those satiated with formula-dramas. The screenplay, however, could have done with more punch and fizz.