Pudhupettai Tamil Movie
'Puthupettai' is a resounding story of an orphaned boy's troubled childhood and the way he establishes himself as a ground-breaking criminal. There is nothing new in the movie. But the way the whole film is made makes it a memorable one for some time to come.
Director Selvaraghavan obviously knows his subjects well and had a huge amount of co-operation from Dhanush and Sneha and this gives the movie a passion that is simply enthralling. You can see his refined, slightly cool, tales of love just as you can in other films of his.
While you admire the production design and locations it remains a film that discusses emotions the audience is not feeling. This dispassion may be a criticism one could level at.
Here goes the story…
'Kokki' Kumar (Dhanush), a poor slum boy runs away from his home after his father, a small time rowdy, kills his mother. Orphaned as he is, Kumar leads a fairly humdrum life on the streets begging for a living until a chance meeting with a gang that sells narcotics. Kumar's life is never the same again.
The gang is ruled by Anbu and his is a totalitarian system where people who oppose him are eliminated without trace. A local politician (Azhagarperumal) supports his clandestine activities.
Kumar hones his skills with the help of Ravi, a member in the gang, to become a top notch hit man.
Kumar encounters Krishnaveni (Sneha), a slatternly young women working as a sex worker in a prostitute run by Anbu. Kumar falls for her suave looks, and both gradually are drawn towards each other. Pained by the way Krishnaveni is treated, Kumar asks Anbu not to force her into such activities and to leave her once for all.
A fight ensues between them and Kumar kills Anbu and becomes the leader of the gang. The remaining part of the films tells how Kumar establishes himself as a ground-breaking criminal and a henchman for a political party.
The driving force behind the film, however, is undoubtedly the two central performances. Dhanush is nothing short of phenomenal as Kokki, capturing perfectly the man's demeanor, attitude and vocal style. His whole performance is award worthy. After long time, for Sneha, this film marks a coming of age for the actress, a grown-up role she embraces with style. Both there performances make the film impressive.
That deftness is matched by Selvaraghavan's astute direction, precise period feel, evocative photography and a fine ensemble of actors rising to the challenge.
Add to that, Aravind Krishna's simple cinematography using Super 35-camera innovation emphasizes the grass roots background of the character. Music director Yuvan Shankar Raja's back ground score makes the movie all the more real.
Supporting actor Azhagarperumal and Sonia Agarwal's restrained, powerful performance and the whole thing is truly a convention-busting fare in every way.
With many more similar gangster movies are in production, this will do very nicely for the time being.
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