Pattaya Kelappanum Pandiya Movie Review
Review Overview
Performances
Screenplay & Direction
Music & Cinematography
Old wine in a new bottle!
Pattaiya Kelapanum Paandiya is just another Tamil film which glorifies barbaric stalking in the first half and renders an atrocious justification in the second half. The only saving grace in the film is its occasional situational comedies appearing out of nowhere.
Cast: Vidharth, Manisha Yadav, Soori, Imman Annachi, Kovai Sarala & Others
Cinematography: TM Moovendhar
Music: Arul Dev
Editing: Thanikachalam
PRO: Nikkil Murugan
Direction: SP Raajkumar
Production: Animuthu for Mutiara Films International
Release Date: 05-09-2014
Run Time: 02:42:00
Pattaya Kelappanum Pandiya is just another Tamil film which glorifies barbaric stalking in the first half and renders an atrocious justification in the second half. The only saving grace in the film is its occasional situational comedies appearing out of nowhere. Director S.P. Rajkumar has an uncanny sense for pulling off hilarious comedy scenes in most bizarre situations.
Velpandian (Vidharth) plays a driver and Parotta Soori (Muthupandi) plays a conductor for a private bus owned by Imman Annachi, who plays a goofball proprietor. After a brief start into the film, the director reveals that Velpandian and Muthupandi are brothers. Kanmani (Manisha Yadav) plays a nurse; she is also a regular passenger in Velpandian’s bus. Vidharth sincerely loves Manisha, but Rajkumar is not interested in telling the audience the reason behind it. He simply loves her; deeply, truly and madly. The first half revolves around futile comedy scenes which are entirely out-of-scope for the story; but nevertheless, Rajkumar at least succeeds, though partially, in what he sets out to do – to entertain. Kovai Sarala and Ilavarasu – who play Vidharth’s parents, do manage to bring the roof down once in a while.
In one of the bizarre scenes in the film, Vidharth explains his love for Manisha to Jayaprakash – who plays a police officer – in the most farcical way you would not even dream of. Vidharth is highly protective about Manisha and has an extraordinary foresight that he has a LIC policy in her name, a joint bank savings account, a monthly jewel chit and even has a gas cylinder registered under her name – “in case we marry and in case she fights with her mother-in-law, she would need a separate gas cylinder under her name, right?” is the reason given. But, Manisha is unfazed even after witnessing all these caring and lovingness.
Director Rajkumar takes his liberty to append a tepid sub-plot to the already non-synchronizing second half of the film to make it all the more interesting. Will Manisha fall in love with Vidharth? This is what the second half deals about. By the time, the interval card rolls out, you can be certain about the film’s third-act and all you need to do is to wait, patiently, for your thoughts to appear on screen. Rajkumar does try to put in his earnest effort to depict the struggles behind households run by single women, but the scenes are poorly etched that we are left apathetic.
There is only little to appreciate on the film’s technical front. Vidharth and Soori have done a good job and Manisha, for most part of the film’s runtime, looks a misfit in her role as village belle.