Directed by: Sudha Kongara, Vignesh Shivan, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vetrimaaran
Produced by: Ashi Dua, Rhea Kongara, Ronnie Screwvala, Avinash Viswanathan
Starring: Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi, Kalidas Jayaram
Music by: Justin Prabhakaran, Anirudh Ravichander, Karthik, R Sivatmikha
Cinematography: Theni Eswar, Ganesh Rajavelu, Jomon T. John
Production company: RSVP Movies, Flying Unicorn Entertainment
Distributed by: Netflix
Release date: 18 December 2020
Country: India
Language: Tamil
Produced by: Ashi Dua, Rhea Kongara, Ronnie Screwvala, Avinash Viswanathan
Starring: Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi, Kalidas Jayaram
Music by: Justin Prabhakaran, Anirudh Ravichander, Karthik, R Sivatmikha
Cinematography: Theni Eswar, Ganesh Rajavelu, Jomon T. John
Production company: RSVP Movies, Flying Unicorn Entertainment
Distributed by: Netflix
Release date: 18 December 2020
Country: India
Language: Tamil
Anthology series culture is catching on quite well in the south and now one film that has made a lot of headlines is Paava Kadhaigal. It is out on Netflix and read on to see what it has in store.
Plot
The film has four short stories. The first story is Thangam directed by Sudha Kongara and deals with a transgender played Kalidas Jayaram. How is he, ill-treated in society and how his parents disown him is the story. The second short is directed by Vignesh Shivan and deals with two sisters played by Anjali. How a dreaded father kills one daughter for his honor is the story all about. The third story is directed by Gautam Menen and is about a 12-year-old getting raped. The last story is directed by Vetri Maran and deals with Prakash Raj killing his daughter Sai Pallavi for marrying against his will.
Performances
Kalidas Jayaram is the heart of the first short. He as the transgender makes you quite emotional with his performance. Shantanu Bhagyaraj also plays his supporting role nicely. In the second story, Kalki Koechlin is cool as a lesbian. Anjali dons a bold avatar and holds well in her double role. The actor Padam Kumar as the ruthless father was just amazing in the story.
In the third story, Gautam Menen and Simran kill it with their chemistry. Especially Simran as the helpless mother is dammed good in the film. Her emotions in the story are moving. But the last short is which takes the cake as it has heavyweights Prakash Raj and Sai Pallavi who just get you with their emotional performance. The pain that Sai Pallavi showcases as the helpless pregnant woman is so good to see and moves you to tears.
Analysis
Paava Kadhaigal is one of the best anthology films made in recent times. The stories, performances, and making will leave you speechless in many areas. The manner in which today’s women are being treated has been showcased so emotionally. The honor killing, rape culture, and other aspects have been handled so nicely by the directors. Production values are so good and the BGM’s make things so interesting for the film.
Gautham Menon’s Vaanmagal is the most promising of the lot. A loving family deals with the aftermath of their daughter caught in an unfortunate situation is shown beautifully. Also, Vignesh Shivan shows what he is capable of as far as black humor is considered. Also, kudos to the filmmaker for not showing the men as bad all the way and bringing in the system and the society that also makes them a victim.
The film has engaging moments and never drags. All the stories have terrific writing which needs a special mention. In a nutshell, Paava Kadhaigal is a film that questions your belief system and drains you emotionally. Don’t miss this gem as such stories are rarely made.
