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There have been many times when we have watched movies take moralistic posture and have been very preachy through characters that are represented strongly.  Very rarely would we see a movie in which the only loser in the movie is the lone honest and upright character and every small crook turns out to be a winner. Yet, when you walk out of the movie hall after watching “Soodhu Kavvum” you would do a lot of introspection about who we are as the movie is a sarcastic expression of the society we live in.

 

It isn’t a laughathon as we make it out to be. The dialogues just about manage to bring a smile on our face and it easily vanishes as we move on to the next scene.  It’s not the typical slapstick comedy Tamil films have dumped on us of late. The writing is cleverly made out of our everyday rambling. Be it the “Drunkard” youth who quit his job and pronounces nonchalantly “Why should he work” , or the guy who after repeated failures in trying to get a job effortlessly shifts to an easy way to earn.. the way contractors try to bribe the minister as if it’s part of their profile.. and the honest politician who gets sidelined by his own party chief in favour of his son who is “corrupt” and fits the bill to a ‘T’ to be a politician.. As the movie unfolds it hits us hard at our similarity and questions our intent to root for the crooks in the movie, ignoring the honest character as did every other character in the movie. In the end when the son wins the election resorting to the most culpable methods politicians regularly indulge in and yet wins his elections, the movie turns full circle and shows us the mirror that we are.

 

Soodhu kavvum true to its name vindicates the society. While the hero claims to have a “imaginary” friend of his to speak for his conscience it echoes the need for a conscience that’s absent in us.  An intelligent movie that stares at us mirroring our own actions and finds no excuses to preach. For our guilty actions are not results of our ignorance. The message to learn and correct is sublimely put, but our society that we live in is explicitly exposed thanks to the wonderful team behind the movie.

 

Thank you Nalan.

 

Soodhu Kavvum – A lesson to learn…