Directed by debutant Balakrishnan, Rummy was pitched as a romantic thriller with a multi-cast show led by the dynamic Vijay Sethupathi. But after watching the movie I realized that it was a period drama where Vijay Sethupathi was silently sidelined and reduced to a supporting artist whereas his co-star Innigo Prabhakaran took the lead. There’s nothing wrong about that but what went wrong was the screenplay that had almost everything predictable.
The tale is set in the late eighties of Pudhukottai district. The story follows the lives of two youngsters, Sakthi (Innigo Prabhakaran) and Joseph (Vijay Sethupathi) who get united as roommates when they choose to pursue their education in a college in the nearby town. Predictably each find their partners and to top all the cliches there is this old-school village head who wants to banish every lover in his village and these girls chased by our guys happen to be the daughters of the village headmen. No prizes for guessing what would ensue when love meets conflicting old age thoughts of sanity and women being abated of their rights! The director seems to believe in reinventing the wheel of women being empowered and revolutionizing the system with blood and violence.
Though I would buy his concept of revolution and the violent manner in which that was achieved, the predictable and tedious way in which the story was unfolded made way for quite a yawn. The director in fact has chosen the apt canvas to narrate such a tale where the strata of society that was depicted and their superficial beliefs were brought out well, but at what cost? That is the bone of contention. There were love stories but no romance, there was some comedy but no laughter, there were some thrills but no unpredictability, there was sorrow but no sentimental draw and there was violence and blood but no impact. To top it all, the movie took its own time to unpack its sack of little thrills that proved to be a melodrama at the end!
The movie’s forte was Imman’s melodies - ‘Kooda mela kooda vachu’ was my favorite and the BGM was also fantastic. Cinematography had its two cents to offer and that proved to be a lot as well, especially watch out for the scene towards the climax where the villain’s henchman being killed in a bed of straw - the angle and the ambiance says that the director has some promise.
Performances from the lead as well as the supporting cast seemed to pass muster. Ishwarya Rajesh seems to be the one who caught the eye and had her chemistry with Vijay Sethupathy in place. Soori as a comedian was a let down once again. He has nothing to offer in terms of the so-called entertainment value and also in terms of supporting the narrative.
The director seems to have some potential, but he should have invested more time in carefully crafting his narrative for a much more engaging fare. Lets wish the newbie some good luck as all is not lost!!
Verdict: Below Average!
Rating: 2 / 5
.jpg)