A young woman, who resents her step mother and her controlling boyfriend, starts liking a do-gooder orphan, who pours all his earnings into an orphanage on the verge of being uprooted, due to a landlord with a heart of stone, for whom life stopped being the same once his son eloped, though his helpless wife could not alienate herself from her estranged son and as a bonus, a politician (Pandiya Rajan in a winning role) eager to pass the buck and keep his head safe. On the surface, Balaji Mohan's Vaayai Moodi Pesavum* is replete with cliches that provide enough fodder for at least four** long drawn melodramas, but he still makes a film so good that it leaves you a bit speechless (at least just before the end).
The film is not a laugh riot, but Balaji who doubles up as a news anchor, makes sure there a lot of fun moments (Arjunan in another winning role). Don't miss the news scrolls if you can read Tamil/Malayalam. The film's best portions are in the second half, and though situations that play out might induce a yawn in a regular film, you can not but wonder how seamlessly and effectively Balaji works around the constraint that he forces himself into. The execution of these scenes is excellent, especially for an audience that typically frowns at melodrama and is so used to regular films (with regular dialogues). I have never watched a silent film***, but the experience here was so good, that the scenes engage you more keenly. The songs come as refreshing interludes, but when silence breaks slowly on the screen, you are as jolted as the stunned Madhu Bala. A cliche - but easily the best moment of the film (and my speechless moment), which in any other film would be nothing more than a cliche.
Balaji does not seem to be interested in showing how a few of these relationships get to the happy ending. A few of the sub-plots are weak and at best, mildy funny, but once you have bought in to Balaji's ambitious idea, these are minor hiccups in an engaging journey.
Note:
* Also made in Malayalam as Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram.
** Four is the most common random Tamil number. Eg: Dress appropriately. Only then four people will respect you.
*** Pesum Padam is quite a popular silent film. But here silence is a plot point, rather than how the movie is shot.
The film is not a laugh riot, but Balaji who doubles up as a news anchor, makes sure there a lot of fun moments (Arjunan in another winning role). Don't miss the news scrolls if you can read Tamil/Malayalam. The film's best portions are in the second half, and though situations that play out might induce a yawn in a regular film, you can not but wonder how seamlessly and effectively Balaji works around the constraint that he forces himself into. The execution of these scenes is excellent, especially for an audience that typically frowns at melodrama and is so used to regular films (with regular dialogues). I have never watched a silent film***, but the experience here was so good, that the scenes engage you more keenly. The songs come as refreshing interludes, but when silence breaks slowly on the screen, you are as jolted as the stunned Madhu Bala. A cliche - but easily the best moment of the film (and my speechless moment), which in any other film would be nothing more than a cliche.
Balaji does not seem to be interested in showing how a few of these relationships get to the happy ending. A few of the sub-plots are weak and at best, mildy funny, but once you have bought in to Balaji's ambitious idea, these are minor hiccups in an engaging journey.
Note:
* Also made in Malayalam as Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram.
** Four is the most common random Tamil number. Eg: Dress appropriately. Only then four people will respect you.
*** Pesum Padam is quite a popular silent film. But here silence is a plot point, rather than how the movie is shot.
