2019, Tamil, Netflix, 8.6/10 IMDB Directed by R. Parthiepan
A Mono-act drama, that encompasses seasoned acting and breathtaking sound engineering, keeps you engaged till the last frame. The occasional fatigue of a sole artist performance, is vanquished by the foolproof screenplay and flawless direction.
The 2004 movie, Kudaikul Mazhai from R. Parthiban, made heads turn with a minimum of two artists in the entire movie and now we have been rationed to just one person, R.Parthibhan doing a solo performance. Its a phenomenally challenging thought, but he managed to hold the forte with ease. The film entered the Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records for having a single person writing, directing, solo acting and producing a film.
I don’t want to reveal anything more than what the trailer did. The story revolves around an interrogation sequence where the accused is a psychologically disturbed person. The story is the strength of the movie and so is the impeccable performance by R.Parthiban.
There are multiple layers to the screenplay and it is unraveled slowly. Later when you look back, every piece of information in the movie, even the most random one, is an essential building block that shapes the final outcome.
The Malayalam blockbuster ‘Drishyam’ had a similar intelligent lead character but here it’s all masked with the psychological coefficient of the sole artist and you are lured in to the plot step by step and suddenly you are witness a well thought out plan.
You are left to question the sanity of the character throughout the movie and the climax unearthes another perspective of the lead role.
Small ‘Parthibanism’ all over the movie, leaves you with a nostalgia. The lead role’s name, ‘Masilamani’ can be read as ‘Maasu illa money’, contrast to his wife’s character who is after filthy money, the magenta color of the 2000 rupee note matching the wife’s saree, the romance sequence with vaalaipoo vadai, sound of the gushing water from the tap being similar to that of a female’s laughter, the cat eyeing a nearby nest as a metaphor to that of a police eyeing a helpless man, the black sabarimalai devotee’s towel used for enacting a murder scene, the list is endless yet each one scores fantastically.
Noteworthy mention to the music director Santhosh Narayanan and sound engineer Rasool pookutty for bringing to life, the innumerable unseen supportive characters around the lead role.
Voice of actress Gayathrie adds texture to the wife’s role. The psychiatrist character, imprints the innocent harmless side of the character on which we ride thought-out the movie, until the dodgy ploy takes you unannounced in the climax but you are still convinced and keep rooting for the lead character. That’s the success of the movie.
A good watch.