'Kalloori Kalangal' (Tamil, Campus, 2010)
Director: MA Romoshiva
Cast: Sukumar, Priyanka Chandira
A poorly crafted screenplay, weakly etched characters and badly guided performances make 'Kalloori Kalangal' a test of patience.
A love story set on a college campus, the film is about Santosh and Kavita and their ultimate sacrifice in the name of love.
Santosh is in love with his classmate Kavita. Fearing rejection, he professes his love to her through anonymous calls and messages. Kavita falls for her unknown admirer and is ecstatic when she discovers it is Santosh. Kavita’s father, a businessman, comes to know of his daughter’s affair. But she denies it vehemently, expressing hurt at his lack of trust in her.
Her attitude is puzzling, considering that her parents, and Santosh’s too, are depicted as sensible and understanding. The lovers decide to take a drastic step, though there is no convincing reason for their act. The scenes following are not just melodramatic, but ridiculous, with a total lack of sensibility.
If debutant Sukumar, who seems to have the potential, is high-strung and erratic, particularly towards the end, the blame rests squarely on the director for not guiding his hero suitably.
There is the comic track (Remoshiva–Pahalwan) of a thief passing frequently through a police check post, the police suspecting he was smuggling in something, but not being able to corner him. The music is a cacophony.
‘Happy days’ goes the film’s tag line.
Strange tag line for a film with a tragic ending.
No doubt, the audience will have a rollicking ‘happy’ time, going through all that humour and fun, all of the unintended variety!