Debut director Selvah Kumar Thirumaaran’s Family Padam is not the first film about films or an aspiring filmmaker, nor will it be the last. Such films usually show the aspiring filmmaker struggling on their own, or with their family either trying to stop them from pursuing their dreams or backing them with a little pep talk.
Family Padam tells to what extent a family goes to make the filmmaking dreams of one of the three brothers come true. The biggest draw of the film is its fresh take on the role of a family in a man-running-behind-his-passion story.
The film begins with the titular family in a prison on Diwali for an alleged cheating case; the narration piques our interest to know what has happened. The scene then shifts to the flashback, with Thamizh (Udhay Karthik) shuttling between production houses, where he gets cold-shouldered, in some cases openly and in others politely.
After some heated arguments, laughs and romance, Thamizh finally finds a blockbuster producer who is interested in his narration. But he soon realises that he foolishly believed that he was close to achieving his dreams. How he manages to recover from this disappointment and how this situation tests the family’s unity is what Family Padam is all about.
In such films, the narration is usually centred solely on the hero and his dreams, keeping other characters in the background. However, each member of the family should be updated on how well or terribly his meeting with a producer went for Thamizh.
You have a regular mother, Viji (Sreeja Ravi), who is not dead against Thamizh’s aspirations but is concerned about his livelihood and his ‘waywardness’ hampering the wedding prospects of his second elder brother, Parthi (Parthiban Kumar).
Nevertheless, this is a family that stays together, which is exemplified with the fact that there is nobody bitching behind Thamizh. On top of it, the eldest brother, Sarath Kumar (Vivek Prasanna), who is mocked as ‘Samuthiram’ Sarath Kumar in a reference to the popular actor’s 2001 film, more or less takes up the lead role here.
Another factor that makes the film palatable is not having a subplot for the sake of it. Selvah has taken a giant leap in placing his faith in just simple storytelling and human characters. No role feels wasted. More than just the individuals, the family as a unit has a character of its own that is rhythmic. It is such a relief to see a joint family in Tamil cinema after a long time without a sacrificial lamb or a derelict.
Everyone does everything for one another and has each other’s backs, which is both beautiful and believable. The mostly passive grandfather Ezhumalai (Mohanasundaram) and father Thavakumar (Santhosh) rise to the occasion and gain significance at a crucial juncture. Mohanasundaram’s expressions and voice lend themselves to both humorous and emotional situations.
The ladies of the film are also unusual for this genre. They aren’t selfish, scheming, or stopping their men at the behest of their families. Family Padam’s competent dialogues also enhance the viewing experience. Sarath exposing the “settling in life” idea in one scene is sure to resonate with the middle class.
Thamizh’s helplessness moves us when he rants to his mother, saying the straightforward path is not a winning strategy in cinema and that he keeps failing because she hasn’t taught him dishonesty. Another line—’Onnume illadhappo ennada ungalukku ivalo thimurunu kekriye, idhu thimirilla thanmaanam’—again reflects the middle-class mindset of displaying fortitude in the face of hardships.
The film, however, comes up short in certain areas, like the Yamuna-Thamizh romantic track, the payoff angle, and the portrayal of filmmaking. As we all can guess at the beginning, the family does make monetary arrangements for Thamizh’s film. But what does that say about film production? Making postproduction look easy-peasy is a gross misinformation about filmmaking, keeping us from embracing the film wholeheartedly.
That said, Family Padam is a delightful return to a quintessential 90s family entertainer that remains engaging throughout and offers comfort in the familiar, despite being downright predictable.
Director: Selvah Kumar Thirumaaran
Cast: Vivek Prasanna, Udhay Karthik, Parthiban Kumar, RJ Priyanka, Subhiksha Kayarohanam, Sreeja Ravi