Cast: Tamanna, Akhil, Hemalatha
Music: Joshua Sridhar
Direction: Balaji Sakthivel
Producer : Sankar
After a huge, trendsetting hit, some directors consciously attempt a film in a different genre to prove their versatility while others play it safe by presenting the same kind of film under the view that that is what audiences expect from them. Kaadhal director Balaji Sakthivel falls in the latter category. And his attempt to deliver the same kind of film proves to be his follow-up film Kalloori's strength and weakness. The naturalness and realism are welcome and refreshing but the attempt to make it emotional seems artificial and forced and has the exact opposite effect than what was intended.
Shobana(Tamanna) has joined B.A(History) in the Arts college in a small town but thinks of it as just a temporary stay since she is waiting to hear about her admission into the prestigious Birla Academy in New Delhi. Initially aloof, she warms up to a particular group of students who studied together in school and so are closely-knit group in college too. She soon becomes an inseparable part of the group and shares in their joy and sorrow.
Colleges in Tamil cinema usually have no semblance of realism. When they are not futuristic, unreal buildings housing students in designer clothes, they are nondescript buildings that rarely figure in the proceedings and are little more than a place for the students to dance and fight. Professors and headmasters become comedians while teachers are skimpily dressed sex objects the students can ogle. Kalloori finally brings realism to the college campus. The fun atmosphere is nicely brought out as the students have fun in class and outside(the teachers join in too but not always). But we also see the students attend class, write exams, practise for an athletic meet and go on an educational tour. The conversations the students have, the problems they encounter, the quarrels they get into all seem real. Seeing the proceedings here, its easy to believe that Balaji trained his camera on students in a real, small-town college.
Inspite of having many main characters, each of them manages to have something special that makes them stand out. Each of them fulfils a role(Kayal is the moral compass, Ramesh is the joker and so on...) that makes the group feel complete as a whole. Their backgrounds, though mentioned only briefly, play an important part in making them three-dimensional characters rather than cardboard figures. Once we know their stories, we realize that they are laughing inspite of their troubles; they share their sorrow and not just laughter and their friendship takes on a whole new meaning. The supporting characters too play a big part in making the characters seem well-rounded. The parents and siblings are, for the most part, well-meaning characters who are sacrificing a lot to see the student succeed in life.
There have been movies(Prashanth's Piriyaadha Varam Vendum or pretty much every other Murali-starrer would be some examples) where a character silently carried love in his heart without revealing it to the object of his affection. Kalloori sees two such characters but at different times though. When the first character hesitates to reveal his true feelings, it is understandable since it can be attributed to confusion and indecision. His struggle is nicely brought out. But by the time the second character shows the same symptoms, we've had enough of it. This character reveals the feelings in a very contrasting, interesting way but it goes on for too long and tests our patience.
The final section of the film It feels completely unnecessary and is a transparent ploy by Balaji to deliver what he thinks people expect from him after Kaadhal. The climax of Kaadhal itself felt a little overwrought and manipulative but compared to Kalloori's climax, it seems very subtle and straightforward.
Tamanna is the only familiar face in the film. Inspite of her background story, it initially feels a little odd seeing her among the students in the small town. But she gradually wins us over. She looks simple but pretty and performs well. The rest of the cast is good considering they are new. Akhil and Hemalatha get the meatiest characters and so make the best impression though their expressions could use some work. The actor playing Ramesh is completely natural while the actress playing the shy one surprises with her transformation in the inter-college cultural festival. Sariyaa Idhu Thavaraa... is a nice number from Joshua Sridhar.
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