Paava Kadhaigal Review: A Heart-Rending Watch!

Paava Kadhaigal, an anthology mini-series, is the second Tamil Original distributed by Netflix India, with Priyardarshan’s ‘Sometimes’ being the first release, back in 2018. Following a similar structure of Bollywood’s Netflix Originals, Lust and Ghost Stories, Paava Kadhaigal also brings together a mega team of directors with Sudha Kongara leading the pack alongside Vignesh Shivan, Gautham Vasudev Menon, and Vetri Maaran. The storyline of all the stories revolves around honor killing, a prevalent subject matter, which still manages to be the common enemy in modern-day Democratic India.

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Leading with the primary theme of the mini-series, honor killing. One of the main reasons why Paava Kadhaigal worked as an overall product is because it managed to create an impression about the point in question and never attempts to back down or sugarcoat its story to make it more digestible for the audience member. The directors, who also wrote their individual stories, highlighted the sum and substance exceptionally well throughout the runtime and did not try to limp along the way.

Be it inter-caste and inter-religion marriages still being considered as a major taboo. Teenage couples fleeing away from their household to get married being labeled as a cardinal sin. Also, the parents or the siblings stretching to an ungodly length to save themselves some respect in a patriarchal society, etc.

These are the most common issues that we, as citizens of India, still see and hear on an almost daily basis or even experienced personally. Discussing these topics and authentically showcasing them, Paava Kadhaigal does a fantastic job from start to finish by keeping you engaged and invested in the narrative.

Most importantly, every director in Paava Kadhaigal sharpened on their strengths while narrating a significant storyline. Gautham Vasudev Menon and Sudha Kongara ensured that their stories run high on emotions, while Vignesh Shivan infused a bit of dark comedy in his rather serious subject. On the other hand, Vetri Maaran, known for making realistic cinema, narrated his short with raw emotions and heart-wrenching dialogue that wrecks you completely by the very end.

Subsequently, while delivering on their strengths, the directors also made sure that the entire show was difficult to watch (in a positive light) to help understand the gravity of the situation. The suspense and the tension were built-up flawlessly in every short, and the development of characters was on-point, considering the amount of time available. As a result, because I was able to feel for the characters and emotionally invest in their well-being, every narrative hit close to home, and I had to take a break to begin watching the next one.

The performances from the complete cast were remarkable to watch, especially Kalidas Jayaram in Sudha Kongara’s film stood out from the rest with his brilliant portrayal as a trans woman, Sathaar. His expressions, body language, and accent were spot on in every single frame, and his story outshone and wrecked me the most when compared to his counterparts.

Yet another stand-out performance came from the veteran actor, Simran as her portrayal as a mother of two girls was outstanding from start to finish. Sai Pallavi from Vetri Maaran’s film once again proved why she is the best in the business through her brilliant dialogue delivery, ability to act emotionally, and carried her character with ease. Additionally, Anjali, Shanthnu Bhagyaraj, Padam Kumar were also decent in their respective role and deserve all the love and appreciation by the same token.

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Overall, Paava Kadhaigal is a heart-trending watch. It will emotionally move you with its pragmatic storytelling, relatable characters, and narratives that don’t back down to display the wicked things that happen in our society in the name of honor killing. Also packed with fantastic performances from the complete cast, this show is a complete contrast from what we’ve seen from Bollywood and a great showcase of the kind of talent and stories South Indian Film Industries can offer. Watch ‘Paava Kadhaigal’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 4/5 | Grade – A

Images via Netflix India