One of the most famous and traditional beverage in Madurai is Jigarthanda. It has multiple layers of ingredients, each adding its own flavor. I am not able to find a better anomaly to associate this beverage with Sasiskumar's latest - Sundarapandian. His assistant director, Prabhakaran's directorial debut had all the clichés of a Madurai genre movie that we had seen in the past, yet it had its fresh appeal like a glass of freshly brewed Jigarthanda that relishes your senses, at least for a while.
Kollywood's date with Madurai and it's surroundings date back to the 80's and then it has been resurrected quite recently, especially when directors like Ameer and Sasiskumar took the plunge. With multiple directors following suite with this genre, it proved to be a safe bet for the producers too as they were able to get a minimum guarantee at B and C centers. Sundarapandian was no different as it was fast paced and engaging throughout the narrative like most of its counterparts in the past.
Sundarapandian (Sasikuamar) is the only son of a rich landlord (Naren) and leads a happy-go-lucky life with his companions. In this movie too Sasikumar attempts to help for his friend's love and in the process gets himself entangled in a delicate situation wherein the girl starts developing an interest towards him (in fact the love is rekindled). The twists and turns thereafter causes some interesting and engrossing situations which formed the rest of the plot. The story has been peppered with commercial elements like comedy, sentiment, romance and an equal dose of violence during the climax.
The casting, screenplay, dialogs and acting were the four pillars of the movie and on top of it all there was Sasikumar and his ever evolving performance. I can hardly remember a dull moment during the course of the movie as the screenplay flowed smoothly interspersed with equal doses of romance and comedy.
For Sasikumar, a lot was riding on this movie as he needed a hit very badly, since his last few movies as a director and an actor was either a flop (Eesan) or an average grosser (Poraali). Keeping this in mind he has managed to step up the ante and has also attempted to nurture a larger-than-life hero image for himself, with his trade-mark dance movements and average dialog delivery.
Lakshmi Menon made her debut and had stars shining in her big round eyes. The heroine's role in this movie was pretty powerful and so she did more than just running around the trees. Her eyes were really expressive and radiated varied emotions that did a world of good for the scenes at large. I am waiting to see her in her upcoming 'Kumki' as well.
The next big asset for the movie was the comic element that was inherent in the script and that department was lead by 'Parotta' Soori. He just sizzled with his timing and his one liners and the manner in which he delivered them along with the native dialect made room for genuine laughter, especially during the first half.
Vijay Sethupathi as Sasiskumar's friend had done his bit, even though he could have done much more than just turning into a monster during the climax.
The other members in the supporting cast like Naren, Thennavan, Appu Kutty, friends of Sasiskumar and the ladies were handpicked with great care and the audiences' response then and there with thunderous applause stood as a testimony to it.
Music by Raghunanthan was not great, but at the same time was not disappointing as well. The songs were placed well and it was shot engagingly adding some life to them instead of just passing muster.
Cinematography by Prem Kumar was realistic as the camera had to travel on the dry locales of Usilampatti and the surrounding areas of Madurai more often than not. At the same time, when it came to romantic scenes, it brought out the subtle and cute emotions between the lead pair that added fuel to their chemistry.
Overall, the film can surely be watched for its entertainment factor in the first half and the action and thrill during the latter that keeps us hooked from the start till the end.
Welcome back Sasi!
Welcome back Sasi!
Verdict: Go for it!
Rating: 3.5/5
PS: Violence during the climax was a bit overboard!
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