CHENNAI: Perhaps the most refreshing part of Hiphop Adhi’s PT Sir is how Anikha Surendran’s character Nandhini is written. While everyone deals with trauma in their own way, Nandhini knows that a single incident doesn’t define her life and that she needs to be vocal in order to get justice. Moments after she is shamed by her parents for her choice of attire and is discouraged from stepping out of the house, Nandhini keeps her head up high with a college bag in one hand, while holding her brother’s hand in another. However, these sporadic moments yield no novelty in the larger scheme of the film. It does a complete disservice to her character arc through the film which only presents itself as a pedestal for Adhi’s heroic moments.
Set in Erode, Kanagavel (Adhi) is a physical training teacher at a school whose Chairman Guru Purushottaman (Thiagarajan) heads a group of educational institutions. The rest of the story can be completed in a sentence, yet the domino of plotlines are written to clash, tumble and eventually fall apart.
Early on in the film, when the school’s security guard is beaten by a loan shark for not repaying the interest on time, Kanagavel feels pity but remains silent. When Vanathi (Kashmira Pardeshi) questions his apathy towards the atrocity, he says, “I am just a PT sir, not a hero. I think you watch too many Telugu films.” You would think it is a commentary on the rise of over-the-top male stars, but Adhi himself stomps his shoe on the line to become a hero in the course of the story.
Every time Kanagavel picks up a fight or confronts bad guys, there is a song or two like ‘Achamillai Achamillai’ or ‘Vel Vel Vetrivel’ that is either too overused or reeks of staleness. We are shown that Kanagavel is a mama’s boy who is fed with the prophecy from an astrologer—that he would go to a point of no return if he goes astray and gets into trouble. Aadhi’s Kanagavel is a bit timid, but he somehow overcomes it to become a man who voices out against injustice, which goes against the film’s attempt to make him a boy next door.
Thiagarajan as Guru Purushottaman can pull off a villain with ease, but he comes across as a stock character whose role has been painted with broad jet-black strokes. Guru’s conviction is completely focused on taking down Kanagavel with all his power, like an enemy he is destined to vanquish. There is a standard template for these films—unnecessary duet songs, the potpourri of emotions and a hero who rises to action when called for, but the female lead is just there to light up the room, Kashmira Pardeshi as Vanitha is just that. For a film so serious about women empowerment, she is hardly in the picture, except for uttering a few dialogues. Their romantic track barely holds on and initial gags fizzle to nothingness.
PT Sir raises pertinent questions about the inaccessibility of legal justice to female survivors and how the powerful get to hold the steering wheel while bending laws to their favour. But the makers take it miles too far to prove this to the audience. After constantly shaming Nandhini, the women around the street gather to narrate a long monologue on how harassment is a part of their everyday routine. Sadly, the onus is never taken off from the women for the ordeal they face. PT Sir also shows a disturbing lack of sensitivity. For example, in a scene that follows the suicide of a survivor, one man goes on to call her, “Manasthi” (a woman of honour).
Every time the legal drama in the second half takes a drastic turn, the audience consuming Nandhini’s case on social media, makes quick fickle-minded judgements. The unwavering support her news gathers then devolves into name-calling and character assassination. It shows the growth of armchair experts on social media. But all the film does is just that, mirroring the ugly side of our society, with no point of its own to make. The film does little more than blow the whistle for PT Sir’s meteoric rise to bring justice to womenfolk.
Film: PT Sir
Director: Karthik Venugopal
Cast: HipHop Adhi, Kashmira Pardeshi, Anikha Surendran, Thiagarajan, Ilavarasu, Munishkanth, Pandiarajan
Rating: 2/5