Manigandan KR
Chennai, 28 Mar 2017 22:12 IST
Director Adam Dasan's Paambhu Sattai is a well-researched, gripping crime thriller with a generous dose of cute romance.
Dasan, who has turned director with this film after having worked as an assistant to Shankar, has scored emphatically with this classy movie that not only seeks to entertain but also looks to educate audiences on social values and behaviour. What's more, it seeks to create awareness about crime and the modus operandi of criminals. More importantly, it highlights how a corrupt system allows criminals to prey on the vulnerabilities of the innocent and exploit their needs to coax them into a life of crime.
The film revolves around Dhatchina (Bobby Simha), a law-abiding man of limited means who lives with his sister-in-law Valarmathi (Banu aka Muktha George), a widow. Dhatchina, a water can delivery man, wants to get his sister-in-law to remarry as Valarmathi's marriage to his brother lasted for just about a month. Another reason he wants her to remarry is that although the relationship between them is of a brother and sister, society insults them by casting doubts on their relationship after the death of his brother.
Valarmathi, however, is unable to forget Dhatchina's brother, a man she loved and married against the wishes of her parents. She is, therefore, reluctant to remarry. Over a period of time, she agrees to remarry and Dhatchina gets busy in his search for an ideal groom.
It is in these circumstances that Dhatchina meets Veni (Keerthy Suresh) who works in a garment export unit. He falls for her kind-hearted attitude instantly. When Dhatchina seeks Veni's hand in marriage from her dad, a manual scavenger (Charlie), he is told that society would not approve of the practice of a man residing in the same house as the widow of his brother. So, Dhatchina hastens to find an ideal groom for Valarmathi.
After a long search, he finds one man but, unfortunately, this person is in no position to marry as he is mired in debt. Dhatchina decides to help him pay off his debts, but that is easier said than done as it will require a huge sum of money.
Dhatchina becomes desperate. His desperation is spotted by a broker in a gang dealing in counterfeit currency. They seek to lure him into the business. Does Dhatchina take the bait? Does he lose or make money? Does he turn a criminal or does he outsmart the criminals? Does he get his sister-in-law married off? Can he marry the girl he loves? The film answers questions like these and more.
Paambhu Sattai is refreshing in more ways than one. It tells an entertaining story but at the same time highlights the practical difficulties people face. It has several pluses.
First, the dialogues are sharp, simple and brutally honest. Needless to say, they make a phenomenal impact. Be it Charlie explaining to a child why even a grain of rice matters, to the elderly woman who counsels Valarmathi how it is all right for widows to remarry, to Guru Somasundaram's efforts to coax Dhatchina into a life of crime, each of these dialogues is priceless. Both director Adam Dasan and his colleague who penned the dialogues need to take a bow!
Then, the film has spellbinding music by Ajesh. The mellifluous numbers make one crave for more and the sensational background score only compounds the effect of an already powerful story.
Paambhu Sattai has some fantastic performances from its cast. Keerthy Suresh is scintillating. This is easily her best performance till date. As the kind-hearted young woman who looks to help every person in need, she steals your heart. Bobby Simha as Dhatchina, too, comes up with a sterling performance to reiterate the fact that he is a gifted actor.
Four other actors who have contributed immensely to the film are Guru Somasundaram, Bantu, M Rajan, and Charlie. All of their performances are worth their weight in gold. Guru Somasundaram and Charlie, in particular, are exemplary.
The editing by Raja Sethupathy is perfect and KG Venkatesh's work with the camera is commendable. On the whole, this one is a must watch!