May 21 2012
Most films are inspired from real life. An incident or an event can give a spark to a filmmaker to conceive a movie. They dwell on anything that happens around us. But at the same time, hardly do they reflect realism. Driven by commercial cliches, filmmakers take a safe bet opting for mass elements in their flicks. However, a new set of directors are making their impact felt these years, with movies that reflect nothing but life. One such jewel in the crown of Tamil cinema is Balaji Shakthivel. The 'Kadhal' director, who set a new trend in Kollywood by narrowing the bridge between art house and commercial cinema, is back to charming us with 'Vazhakku Enn 18/9'.
The filmmaker in his sublime form strikes the right chord. He leaves no stones unturned in taking a serious issue that haunts teenagers today. His narration is so close to reality that the audience might feel that things just unfold almost next to them. If his 'Kadhal' was all about romance between a couple of different 'communities' and 'Kalloori' spoke about the death of innocent students for political reasons, 'Vazhakku Enn... ' is totally different, but much relevant for the day.
It harps about the obscene MMS scandals that play spoilsport on youngsters' lives these days. The mindset of today's youth, their wayward lives and romance has been picturised well. Balaji Shakthivel has proved in the past that with lesser known star cast, he can make a mark on screen. 'Vazhakku Enn...' too is a script-driven movie, where the entire star cast is fresh. Hence, identifying with the characters is no daunting task. More in the flashback mode, the movie throws light on two lover couples, a crime and an investigation by cops. It is more of sex, lies and crime, but well narrated without any obscenity.
Velu (Sri) is a fun-loving fellow who works in a roadside shop. An orphan, he works for his survival. He comes across Jothi (Urmila Mahantha). She works as servant maid in adjoining apartments. And it's love. Their lives in the apartment Aarthy (Manisha Yadav), whose father and mother work to make both ends meet. Dinesh (Mithun Murali), a student too resides in the same apartment. Dinesh leads a wayward life and is obsessed to watch porn. As it happens, Aarthy falls for him without knowing his past and intentions. A series of happenings lead to a crime and the baton is passed on to inspector Muthuraman (Kumaravel), who investigates the crime.
The rest is all but how law takes its own course that's presented as a racy script. It is a script that gets its sheen thanks to brilliant performance of the star cast. Sree as the platform dweller gets under the skin of his character to give his best, while Urmila is impressive as a short poetry on screen. She bubbles with energy and emotes at ease. A welcome find by Balaji Shakthivel and she is sure to go a long way. Mithun Murali as Dinesh is tailor-made for the role. His desperation and is brought out well. Watch out for a good show by Kumaravel as a greedy cop. All these have all been director's artistes delivering what Balaji Shakthivel wants. Manisha Yadav has come out wth a splendid performance. Her body language and mannerisms fit well the character she has done. Urmila is no inferior to Manisha, and both the actresses add credibility to their respective roles. Cinematography by Vijay Milton is the hallmark of the movie. Shot in soft lens, every frame speaks for itself on screen. Specially the scenes where Aarthy comes to know about Dinesh and his motives, how she manages to get his memory card are picturised well.
Prasanna's background score is something that lends solid support to Balaji Shakthivel's sincere efforts. Complimenting the whole unit's good work is slick editing by Gopi Krishna. 'Vazhakku Enn' has moments that leave a lump in your throat. It needs a man with conviction like Balaji Shakthivel to come up with such a convincing film. Hats off the whole team for a splendid show! A must watch this summer.
