As the uncertainty over the duration of the pandemic grows, cinema might well invent a new genre — the pandemic genre. Amazon Prime Video's Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa fits into this genre neatly.
A follow-up to another anthology, Putham Pudhu Kaalai (2020) from Amazon Prime Video, it features four shorts by Balaji Mohan, Madhumita, Halitha Shameem, Richard Anthony and Surya Krishna.
The film will be streamed on the platform from 14 January. A teaser for the film was released in the last week of December 2021.
The trailer for the film, which was released today, is a montage of snippets from the four separate stories, shown in no particular order. The visuals evoke a mix of emotions ranging from frustration and anxiety to apathy and hope, with an undertone of absurd humour running through it. The visuals capture the essence of some promising stories and, occasionally, are reminders of personal experiences. The visuals are aesthetic, but it is the emotional undertone of the stories which holds out the promise of a good film.
The sight of Nadiya Moidu getting herself tested, or Arjun Das and Lijomol Jose's online relationship conversation, make for relatable moments. There are also TeeJay Arunasalam and Gouri Kishan as the do-gooder cops in love, trying to find their way through the pandemic.
The trailer promises an anthology that delves into the way in which relationships, life and behaviours changed over the course of the past two years. The ensemble cast includes Joju George, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Nirmal Pillai, Sananth and Dhilip Subbarayan.
Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadha will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video from 14 January. Watch the trailer below and let us know if you are keen to catch this film.