Caution: The film is a sincere effort to please audiences who appreciate good cinema which is genuine and realistic in its own ways! And if are a person ,who enjoy only slapstick comedies or a voyeur,whose jaws open involuntarily seeing cleavages or a guy who wants a fast track or an action sequence in the film,then better avoid this Cheran’s beautiful venture,as this film has nothing commercial in it and you may be cheated.
Well now,when I say Pokisham[treasure in english] is a real treasure for tamil cinema,I mean it! Cheran,in his usual self brings the fresh air,which the tamil audiences badly needed,with a genuine and an honest movie! As always you see in a Cheran’s film,Pokisham is also an amalgam of romance,sentiments,unexpected twists and ofcourse perfect casting,who makes the film sound very realistic! The film starts with Lenin’s(Cheran) son checking his bereaved father’s diary and his collection of umpteen love letters,as the time descends back to 1970’s. Lenin is a marine engineer based at Calcutta. He visits Madras to help his father,who has undergone a surgery.There at the hospital,he meets Nadhira(Padmapriya),a Muslim and a BA student studying at Nagore.Their wavelength matches and they are friends soon.When Lenin departs to Calcutta to rejoin his work,he suddenly misses her very badly and develops that special feeling for Nadhira.They exchange their interests and feelings through letters. The beauty of yesteryear romance,where communication was only through letters, is superbly depicted by the lead pair~the enthusiasm with which they write those letters,the long wait to receive the response and the pain if the letter is delayed is genuinely portrayed! Eventually their friendship morphes into love! The climax,with interesting twists and turns,reveals if they both finally get married or not.
Cheran as Lenin,has done a commendable job.His reputation as a “Yedhardha Nayagan”(Natural actor) keeps increasing with every movie.His looks perfectly fit a 1970’s gentleman.The scenes where he keeps pesturing the postman to check if he has any letters, brings the roofs down! His acting in the climax,where he goes on the search to find Nadhira,showcases him as a perfect “Yedhardha Nayagan”. Padmapriya-Oh My Gal!!! She has done wonders to the film.The smile and looks perfectly fit Padmapriya as Nadhira, a muslim girl.What a casting that was,Mr.Cheran??? Good job!!! Guys,trust me,Watch the movie for Padmapriya alone,if you want!
The cameraman needs applause,so does the art director-Vairabalan.They have worked hand in hand to give that 1970’s looks to the movie.Starting from the houses..the vehicles used, their dressing sense,currencies,envelopes,stamps gives us the perfect period looks for the film!!! The choice of location-Calcutta and Nagore and using sea as the backdrop with storm,breeze as the catalyst,the cameraman has succeded in his experiments big time! The biggest let down of the movie must be the music by Sabesh-Murali.Cheran uses songs as the element to drive his story forward,but it has fell flat,sadly! I doubt if the music directors struck a deal with the canteen stall owners ;-)
The first half is a tad slower, and keeps testing the audience’s patience,but the unadulterated romance keeps it going.The second half keeps on dragging unnecessarily and some trimming is needed.The dialogues are too verbose and philosophical,which I don’t think will go well with the urban class of audience! But every dialogue is meaningful,if keenly observed! No double entendre or a separate comedy track ! The movie is clean,beautiful and an expression of genuine romantic feeling.Special credits to Cheran for not using any commercial "masala" elements in his film and trusting only his story and his characters!As always,Cheran urges every one to get into his shoes to feel the value of his character and I’m sure atleast one scene will relate with you!
I reiterate Pokisham is a real treasure for tamil cinema,but I never said it is a paisa vasool! It deserves to do brisk business,but I doubt if today’s audience are patient enough to see this Pokisham unearthed! I mean,in today's world of instant communication,when a guy,even SMS his proposal to a girl, the viewers may be baffled and bored with the lead pair's love letter writing and the trouble they undertook.Had,Cheran made it more pacy and racy, Pokkisham would have been more touchy.Although,this film comes as a real test to the maturity of urban audience in their ability to accept meaningful films! I don’t see Cheran changing his style of directing,it has to be the audience who must mature themself to cherish such wonderful movies with genuine acting,pleasant screenplay,mind-blowing camerawork and encourage them in the making of many more Pokishams in the years to come!
Well done Mr.Cheran!!! Hats off !! U r our Pokisham indeed !
