Pasanga 2 Movie Review

December 24, 2015

2 minutes read

Review Overview

Performances

Screenplay and Direction

Technical Aspects

Likable lessons

Pandiraj's intention is to give a film about an issue with kids, which is not understandable by kids, and make it accessible to the audiences. He gets that done, but he doesn't stay away from being preachy.

Cast: Suriya, Amala Paul, Baby Vaishnavi, Nayana, Nishesh, Bindhu Madhavi, Karthik Kumar, Munish Kanth, Vidhya Pradeep, Ram Doss & others

Cinematography: Balasubramaniem

Music: Arrol Corelli

Editing: Praveen KL

PRO: Johnson

Written & Directed by: Pandiraj

Produced by: 2D Entertainment & Pasanga Productions

Distribution: Studio Green & Escape Artists Motion Pictures

Release Date: 24-12-2015

Run Time: 02:07:00

Sometimes, earnest intentions alone are not enough to make a good-looking film. Pandiraj’s Pasanga 2 is a perfect example of this where the intentions are genuine and undiluted, but the narration is conveniently contrived with stereotyped characters where urban nuclear families are portrayed with nauseating ridiculousness.

Pasanga 2 is a yet another substantiation that Pandiraj, certainly, is our go-to filmmaker to make movies for kids. Pasanga 2 is as much for adults like Pasanga, especially the city-bred souls, as it for kids. However, the relentless deliverance of social messages, including a cringe-worthy dialogue on ‘family planning’, becomes a tad too back-breaking to digest at one point of time. The palpable apathy for its characters is another clear-cut shortcoming in the narration.

The story centers on Nayana and Kavin, two kids suffering from ADHD, and their families. It was only before the interval, Suriya, who plays a doctor, and Amala Paul, who plays a teacher, enter the scene to bring the much-needed transformation of the ADHD kids. The promise that Pandiraj showed with the opening scene involving Tamizha Naadan (when he was a kid) and the subsequent lines delivered by Gnanasambantham goes missing as the film progresses. The story-telling appears burdened by the indispensable need to spew messages.

Suriya and Amala Paul shine in their lovely portrayals of Tamizh Naadan and Venba. They light up the frame every time they appear on screen and put a smile on your face. Their crackling chemistry is a delight to behold and it’s difficult to take your eyes off the couple. The spirited flashback portion involving the duo is a great sight to watch thanks to cameraman Subramaniem’s poetic, picture-perfect frames.

The intention is to give a film about an issue with kids, which is not understandable by kids, and make it accessible to the audiences. Pandiraj gets that done, but he doesn’t stay away from being preachy. The emotional connect in the film is long drawn out, but there are instances where the kids swoop in to perform brilliantly and hold you in.

Technically, the film is sculpted beautifully with a great sense of aesthetics that unmask underlying emotions of its characters. Editor Praveen KL spares no effort to piece together a largely fragmentary film, which sometimes gives you a feeling of watching a documentary. Composer Arrol Corelli’s impressive arrangements of sounds are bound to linger. Suriya’s 2D Entertainment surely deserves a pat on the back for supporting this film and employing their fullest effort to bring unnoticed issues to the fore.