Sillu Karuppatti Movie Review

The films which seem the simplest, are the toughest to make. What might put a smile on your face at the outset might seem like something which is too simplistic, too melodramatic or preachy. But with Sillu Karuppatti, director Halitha Shameem perfectly understands the space and delivers a heartwarming film that leaves an impact, in entirety. Made as an anthology with minute overlaps, the film spans four stories on relationships which come with lots of humor, reality and messages which don’t even feel like it.

Halitha sketches her film with four relationships across the four stages of life – there’s a cute adolescent story which is like a warm-up to what’s coming later, a tense and ‘taboo’ episode that takes place between two strangers who meet in the weirdest of ways, a charming tale between two senior citizens and finally an in-house drama between a couple trying to mend their ways. The best part is on how the film never takes too much time doing what it has to do, and gets across from one point to another smoothly. The first story does feel like a short film at best, but the three which come after that are simply fantastic in both their ideologies and the approach.

Halitha’s excellent writing is packed with some amazing humor, matured dialogues and the exact replication of the mindsets in today’s world. And this is what makes Sillu Karuppatti so interesting to watch, as not a single scene or even dialogue feels out of place or forced.

The little kids at the start have a small story for themselves, and though the plot is enticing, the acting chops do fall short by a bit. But when the story between actor-writer Manikandan and Nivedhitaa comes by in the second segment, it does hit you like a ton of bricks. Both the actors are simply superb with their natural performances, which finely indicate the feelings that they would go through. And post the interval comes the enchanting tale between the very good Kravmaga Sreeram and the always good Leela Samson, bringing together the innocence of an old lady and a man who still has his flirting skills intact. Though parts of the story feel slightly juggled, the way it ends is a beauty which makes up in full. Pleasantly so, Halitha saves the best for last as she introduces us to the couple in Samuthirakani and Sunainaa, who both score full marks with their performances. While the former has been known as the tough guy in Vetrimaaran’s films or a preacher otherwise, he comes off in a realistic and genuine shade here, which makes it so enjoyable. Watch out for Sunainaa too, who is equally solid.

Sillu Karuppatti has the technical finesse that it needs thanks to the four cinematographers who have worked on the four films. Manoj Parahamsa, Abhinandan Ramanujam, Vijay Kartik Kannan and Yamini Yagnamurthy all give it the right angles and the lighting. My only grouse would be with Pradeep Kumar’s music, which sounds a little too repetitive though it has been set with four different dominant instruments.

The stories in Sillu Karuppatti fall in line with the title, crumbling in the bits and pieces of life’s joy and sorrows and finding happiness in each other. Halitha Shameem has indeed scored a home run with her sophomore outing, which will put a smile on your face without a doubt. Sillu Karuppatti Movie Review by Siddarth Srinivas

Sillu Karuppatti Movie Review Rating: 3.75/5

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