Aruvi review: The film is refreshing like a waterfall!

First-time director Arun Prabu Purushothaman’s Aruvi is a film that is one of a kind. Frankly speaking, one wishes one could get to see more of such films in Tamil cinema.

The director seems to have got his priorities right. He seems to have realized that even with a bunch of newcomers and relative newcomers, one can make a film that stands out, provided the content is strong and relevant.

And that is exactly what Aruvi is. The film stands out because of the unique story it has to tell and the gripping manner in which it tells that story.

Aruvi (Aditi Balan) is like any other normal child who has a wonderful time growing up. The care of a loving father, the attention of a doting mother, and an adorable sibling all make childhood the best phase of her life. Then, as she passes through adolescence into adulthood, she does what every other individual would do. Experiment. She smokes, drinks, flirts and parties.

Unfortunately for her, that is when her troubles start. One day, she realizes she has a medical problem and is immediately thrown out of her home by her father. Aruvi’s world comes crashing down as all those she had thought to be close to her seek to distance themselves from her.

She takes refuge at a friend’s place for a while and then we get to know that she has sought assistance from a women’s self-help group. Then, suddenly, one day, she moves to a medical centre to seek help for her problem. It is here that she finds a friend in a transgender called Emily.

Until this point, the plot is quite hazy. We are only let into the developments without being provided the reasons for why those developments occur.

All that changes when, one fine day, Aruvi and Emily choose to approach the director of a TV reality show called Solvathellam Sathiyam to seek justice.

The host of the show is Shobha Parthasarathy (Lakshmi Gopalaswamy) who is more worried about going back home than the problems that people bring to her in the hope that she will have them resolved. The programme’s director,  a rude, uncouth, businessperson in the guise of a journalist, has a different set of interests.

It does not take long for the director to realize that  Aruvi’s complaint is a juicy topic which can help to increase his programme's rating and the channel’s TRPs. So, what exactly is her complaint? Well, the lady says three men took advantage of her on different occasions and raped her. She now wants them to apologize.

The film is refreshing from the start. The manner in which the story is told allows viewers to form opinions even as the film is progressing. Then, towards the end, the director dismisses all those opinions when he gives out the facts of the case.

The film has good performances from all members of the cast. Aditi, who plays Aruvi, does a fine job of essaying this difficult character. Anjali Varathan, who plays Emily, too, comes up with a sterling performance. The only known face in the entire crew is Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, who, as always, does a neat job.

The film has portions that need to be lauded, but it also has portions that are unacceptable. Arun Prabu Purushothaman has done a fantastic job showcasing how exactly a reality show functions. The drama, the hype, the exaggeration and everything associated with a television reality show is beautifully brought out by some of the most engrossing sequences in this film. The same can be said of the manner in which the film brings out the suffering of those who are ostracized by society.

Coming to the parts that are unacceptable, the film has a sequence in which Aruvi is seated in a room with three people against whom she has levelled an allegation of rape. At one point, she says she only wants them to apologize. Ideally, when a woman alleges rape, the men against whom she levels the charge would have been arrested. The film also has a sequence in which the anchor is shown screaming at the victim, which is exaggerated.

The film has music by two music directors, Bindhu Malini and Vedanth, and both seem to have done a decent job, as has the cameraman Shelley Calist. On the whole, Aruvi is a refreshing watch!