Recently there has been quite a few films trying to take a dig at our educational system - be it the big budget 'Nanban' or the humble 'Dhoni'. Saattai falls in line with such genre of movies. It attempted not to be too preachy but ended up being one after a futile attempt. At the same time, director Prabhu Solomon should be lauded for producing and launching such a film as his debut production and introducing debutant director Anbazhagan.
Dhayalan (Samudhrakani), a high school teacher who wants to make a difference to the educational system by motivating and understanding the students' psyche joins a government higher secondary school in a small village near Thiruvannamalai. The school like most other government schools turns a blind eye on the student's welfare largely due to the reluctant attitude of the teachers and a management that consists of a headmaster ('Junior' Balaiah) who is helpless and an assistant headmaster ('Thambi' Ramaiah) who believes in bending the rules and dictating terms. Samudrakani brings in some refreshing changes that are obviously challenged by his detractors in the school and the rest of the story centers around the attempts at overcoming the challenges and the school as a whole emrging as a winner, thus proving that everyone in a system can make a difference with their own effort.
Samudrakani had a meaty one after 'Easan' and was apt for this role especially with his body language and dialog delivery that resembled every bit of a small town teacher of the current generation.
Another actor who grabbed the center stage was 'Thambi' Ramaiah who played a character with shades of grey. He rose up to the occasion whenever needed and infused some energy into the scenes and took the movie forward with his funny emotions and faulty valor that oozed arrogance and humor at the same time. He is becoming hot in Kollywood for these kind of roles which could have been bagged by actors like Nassar or Prakashraj in the past and as a result he is certainly turning the tide to his advantage. Good job!
The supporting cast was a huge let down except for 'Junior' Balaiah who was servile and subtle as per his character's definition. The young pair of Yuvan and Mahima were average while Karuthapaandi who used to be at his best in such roles was just okay. The rest were there to fill the vacuum.
Music by Imman for his beloved producer Prabhu Solomon could have been much better, though the melody 'Sahayane' was hummable.
The intention of the debutant director was to convey some pertinent issues with a noble theme. He has also managed to win half the battle with the help of some interesting scenes and twists, but the other half was lost largely due to some cinematic clichés and below average performances from the supporting cast that left the overall treatment a bit flat.
Rating: 2.5/5
Verdict: Average
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