Five stories, contemporary setting, shot completely during the lockdown, and above all the ability to take you into the story in the first five minutes itself and keep you engaged – The five directors managed this and how.
By RAJESHWARI KALYANAM
When a movie’s length is just 30 minutes, and can still make you smile, laugh, cry and connect, and will leave you wanting for more, and even has a song or two thrown in – then that calls for some brilliant film making skills. This when supported by a tight script, sharp, well thought through and entertaining dialogues, slick editing and enthralling music score; will leave you with Sudha Kongara’s ‘Ilamai Idho Idho’, the first story in the five-story movie ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’. Five stories, contemporary setting, shot completely during the lockdown, and above all the ability to take you into the story in the first five minutes itself and keep you engaged – The five directors managed this and how.
In addition to Sudha Kongara, who worked as an Associate to Mani Ratnam, and has proved yet again that she can write heartwarming stories, the other films, the bouquet of ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’ has Gautham Vasudev Menon’, Rajiv Menon, Karthik Subbaraj and Suhasini Maniratnam at the helm. The actors’ line-up is nothing short of a casting coup. Gautham Menon’s ‘Avarum Naanum / Avalum Naanum’ has MS Baskar And Ritu Verma in the lead, and is the story of a granddaughter who rediscovers her grandfather. Suhasini’s ‘Coffee Anyone’ has along with her, cousins Anu Kassan and Shruti Hassan in the lead, Karthik’s ‘Miracle’ has Bobby, and Muthu Kumar, who acted in ‘Petta’. Rajiv’s ’Reunion’ is about music and it has in addition to Andrea, Leela Samson and Sikkhil Gurucharan.
The backdrop for all these stories is Corona and the 21-day lockdown and in this context the five stories weave-in unique narratives each addressing aspects of human emotions with one common message of love and hope. The stories are breezy, romantic, fun, and touching, as any well-crafted interplay of emotions. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime, the film that is all about good old story telling in a new age setting, is a perfect weekend watch, and you will be singing Ilaiyaraja timeless melody ‘Putham Puthu Kaalai….’ for quite some time after.
