Paruthi Veeran

When there is talk about young directors who are going to lead Tamil cinema into the next generation, Ameer is never mentioned in the same breath as, say, Selvaraghavan or Gautham Menon. But with his third venture, the director proves that he is here to stay and deserves to be on that list on par with - or maybe, even above - those two. Displaying consistence in his direction inspite of the versatility in his movies' genres, he presents a rural tale of love and violence in Paruthi Veeran, delivering a character-based story that is earthy, emotional and entertaining.

Paruthi Veeran(Karthi) lives a carefree life in the village of Paruthiyoor. Ready to raise his hand and aruvaal at the slightest provocation, the jail is his second home. His parter-in-crime is his uncle Sevvaazhai(Saravanan) and together, the two of them spend their time drinking, dining and sleeping. Enmity exists between Paruthi Veeran and his aunt's family but the aunt's daughter Muthazhagu(Priyamani) has decided that Paruthi Veeran is the man for her. So inspite of Paruthi Veeran brushing her off, she pursues him doggedly.

Paruthi Veeran is a familiar story(lovers from two families who are bitter enemies) in a familiar setting(a village where family and caste, not necessarily in that order, come before everything else). But Ameer imbibes the film with so much of a rural atmosphere that the film still seems fresh. Paruthiyoor here doesn't serve as just a background but is an integral part of the film as Ameer takes us deep into rural TamilNadu. It is a village where the chief form of entertainment is a folk dance by eununchs and a woman who has drunk poison gets her stomach pumped out by the villagers rather than the local doctor(if there was even one!). With the authentic characters, their everyday conversations, their realistic accents and the events surrounding them, graamathu maNam wafts right off the screen!

Ameer deserves credit for fashioning a lead who feel familiar to Tamil cinema but still fit right into a village like Paruthiyoor. Karthi has the usual traits of all Tamil cinema heroes but is also given some surprising shades of gray. Priyamani, for her part, is a strong woman who knows exactly what she wants and is willing to go to any lengths to get it. Her love for Karthi has a strong foundation and when she goes against her parents or begs Karthi to accept her, we know exactly where she's coming from(she conveys that in her response to the teacher who asks her "Enna edhutherinju pesurae?", the best piece of dialog in the film). The supporting characters seem as real as they can get and even the ones with little screen time(like the kurathi in the flashback) are memorable.

The climax works in parts. It manages to surprise us more than once in the path it takes but then overstays its welcome and takes the edge off the surprises. Karthi's past doesn't come back to bite him in the way we expect and not all characters meet ends we expect them to. But at the same time, the climax is too long and detailed to have a strong impact. Ameer manages to create a real sense of dread leading up to the climax. But once we get there, the tendency to spell everything out gives the impression that he is trying to wring every emotion he can from the viewer and that kind of overt, emotional manipulation doesn't work.

Karthi is fantastic and definitely shows none of the first film jitters. One thing that I've noticed in newcomers in front of the camera is that they seem inhibited. But Karthi has just let himself go and as a result, is arresting. Scenes like the one where he and Saravanan enjoy a dance by the eununchs are enjoyable solely because of his energy and his ability to be completely unrestrained. Priyamani is more of a mixed bag. She is fantastic in some scenes but appears a bit too stiff and artificial in others. She actually seems more comfortable with the heavier scenes and is explosive whenever she defends her love to anyone. Saravanan is quite natural and creates a likeable character. Ganja Karuppu makes us laugh as he is constantly harasses, both intentionally and unintentionally, by Karthi and Saravanan. All the other actors, from the youngest to the oldest, fit their parts admirably and contribute to the realistic atmosphere on screen.

Yuvan Shankar Raja has definitely has his father's genes when it comes to rustic music. Ariyaadha Vayasu... is wonderfully picturized as it portrays the initial stages of the friendship between Karthi and Priyamani in their younger days. Aiyaiyo.... also starts off wonderfully but the lead pair starting to mouth lines in the middle robs if off some of its initial natural charm. Sarigama is the weakest number of the lot. The entire sequence has an artificial feel and sticks out awkwardly. Ramji's camera captures the action in just the right way. Brown is the predominant color (which makes all those flashes of bright color, like in the village fair, stand out even more) and barrenness has rarely been captured this beautifully.