HYDERABAD : Right off the bat in Sundaram Master, we get to notice how entitled its titular character (a competent Harsha, in tune with the film’s multiple tonal shifts) is. At a pelli choopulu scene, we expect the girl to do the rejecting, given Sundar’s rotund appearance. The girl’s sister also whispers in the girl’s ear, “He is very ugly akka, please say no.” But the tables are turned, as she waits on expectantly while Sundar makes demands for dowry, rejecting her casually because her family is offering less than another prospective party.
It is not Sundar’s selfishness we notice as an audience as much as we notice ourselves asking, “Who does he even think of himself to behave the way he does?”. And in that moment, our inherent biases reveal themselves to us. Would we be okay with a protagonist crassly demanding for dowry if he was good-looking? Arguably not, but we would at least expect some sort of character development later on in the story. We, as an audience, are ready to give that benefit of doubt to a more good-looking protagonist than someone who looks like Harsha Chemudu.
The likes of Harsha, who appear onscreen more often as the hero’s best friend, are expected to be good guys. The funny guys. At the very least, they are expected to be men who do not reject women who look much better than them. They are expected to be men who are desperate for a woman’s attention. Why wouldn’t they be? It is not like a lot of girls are into them for their looks.
Even outside of an arrange marriage meet-cute set up, Harsha is also seen behaving the same way with Myna (Divya Sripada), a woman who is seen nursing a crush on Sundar. Long story short, our well-coddled expectations of how a hero should look are shattered at the same time our expectations of how a hero should behave in Sundaram Master.
It is this interesting character with shades of grey who propels the events of the story forward in the film. After getting handpicked by the local MLA to teach English to an isolated tribe in the village of Miryalametta, Sundar heads off with gusto, vying for an increased dowry package and a political position offered as a reward. Inspired by the Sentinelese tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who are known for their dark skin, their use of stone-age tools and their hatred of outsiders, the villagers of Miryalametta get an extra quirk or two added to the mix. Director Kalyan Santhosh uses this as an opportunity to mine comedy out of situations written into the story as arbitrary anthropology.
How do the tribals speak English? Why do they need an English teacher if they can speak English? Why was Sundar, a social science teacher, specifically selected to teach English? What do the tribals do in times of death? Who do they worship? The suspension of disbelief required for keeping up with this chain of fictional trivia isn’t enough when we get a revolutionary who looks like Brahmanandam enter the picture at one point. But, given how we are not placed smack in the middle of a tribe in every other film, we keep going.
We get a bunch of comedy sequences that seem fairly inoffensive as long as one ignores politically correct arguments involving accuracy and cultural appropriation. Once the film shifts gears from comedy to drama, the character design of the entire tribe gets increasingly questionable.
The surprise one feels at the way Sundar’s character is designed is in stark juxtaposition with the Miryalametta tribe’s overly predictable and simplistic ways. What came off as quirky and cute at first quickly reflects as naivete in the latter portions. Sundar’s intentions are obviously less than noble but why are the townsfolk so oblivious to his plans? It is not even like he is subtle about it. Sundar’s scam-like designs are as flimsy as they come and fall apart without much resistance, only to be left with an overdue coming-of-age story. As Sundaram Master wobbles its way to its 121-minute runtime mark, we get a hastily assembled final act where Sundar realises the follies in his character and gets inspired by the tribals’ goodness. We also get some overarching commentary on the evil of materialism, which makes this film a lot more interesting than what we initially expect it to be.
Despite an odd hiccup here and there, Sundaram Master stands on its feet as a heartfelt drama, ably supported by its ensemble cast and sincere writing.
Review
Movie: Sundaram Master
Cast: Harsha Chemudu, Divya Sripada, Chaitu Babu
Director: Kalyan Santhosh
Rating: 3/5