Produced by – Insomniacs Dream Creations LLP & Logline Pictures
Directed by -Praveen K. Mani
Cast: Saravana Vickram, Hasli Aman, Rajesh Balachandiran, Sai Dinesh Pathram, Yuvaraj Subramanian etc
Censor Rating –
U/A
Running Time -130 Minutes
Rating -***1/2
Saravana Vickram, who is popular among television viewers through the series, ‘Pandian Stores’, makes his screen debut in this dark comedy that has its own gratifying moments!
It is worth noting that the film has won awards at various International Film Festivals held in countries like Sweden, Greece, and India, and the trailer has already generated high expectation!
Well, it is only fair to say that the director has spared no effort to keep up to that!
Madhan, a young man working in the IT sector, suffers from Gynophobia, a psychological condition characterized by hesitation, fear, and aversion towards interacting naturally with women and making eye contact with them. His colleague and friend, Ram, takes him to meet Rathi, a sex worker, in an attempt to help Madhan overcome his shyness. Madhan, speaking naturally with Rathi, asks her, “I have difficulty speaking naturally with women… Can you help me overcome this hesitation?” When Rathi agrees to this, Madhan and Rathi spend an entire day on a ‘date’. The unexpected and unusual experiences that Madhan encounters during this time forms the format of this offbeat film!
The story, told in a non-linear style, features a screenplay where the protagonist shares his experiences with the audience from his perspective, keeping the viewers enthusiastically engaged with the narrative.
The intrigue that begins with the lovers sitting on the beach and Madhan narrating his story permeates throughout the film. To further enhance this, Rathi’s husband, Varadhan, searches for Rathi with a group of people, and a police inspector chases her because she took his gun. This interesting screenplay progression provides the audience with various experiences, including dark humor, crime thriller elements, a social message, and free advice on sex education.
At one point, Rathi decides to fulfill Madhan’s desire, and their journey together leads to an unexpected twist. The moment Madhan expresses his affection for his tuition teacher and Rathi fulfills it is a special touch.
The protagonist’s explanation of the difference between affection and love is enjoyable only in some places as it repeated often!
In the climax, the director’s explanation of the relationship between Madhan and Rathi through dialogue is something that no one can easily guess, and it might even be unacceptable to some.
The actor Saravana Vickram, who plays Madhan easily wins the hearts of the audience with his mature performance handling the character with subtlety and finesse!
The newcomer actress Hasli Aman, who plays the character of Rathi/Rathidevi, captivates the audience with her wonderful performance, especially in the many moments where she remains silent.
Rajesh Balachandiran, who plays the character of Varadhan is quite impressive as the antagonist!
Lokesh Ilangovan’s cinematography is good. M.S. Jones Rupert’s background music deserves mention.
Although the central story of the film is a one-day date between a sex worker and a young man who is still a virgin, the dark world and dark characters created by the director in the background are indeed captivating for the audience.
The film is certainly worth a watch.
