Putham Pudhu Kaalai Review: A Celebration of Emotions!

Amazon Prime Video did not manage to hit it off the park with Kollywood during the lockdown era. However, with Putham Pudhu Kaalai, they have successfully brought together skilled storytellers for an Anthology movie and produced a home run. Putham Pudhu Kaalai comprises of five short films directed by Sudha Kongra, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Rajiv Menon, and Karthik Subbaraj, and each film revolves around different people and their life during the COVID-19 lockdown.

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The five shorts that feature in Putham Pudhu Kaalai are ‘Ilamai Idho Idho’ directed by Sudha Kongra with the story and screenplay written by Francis Thomas and Sruthi Ramachandran. The second film is ‘Avarum Naanum – Avalum Naanum’ directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, while Reshma Gatala penned the story.

While the third film in this anthological film is ‘Coffee, anyone?’, directed by Suhasini Mani Ratnam, and she co-wrote the movie with her husband and master storyteller, Mani Ratnam. Rajiv Menon writes and directs the fourth short film titled ‘Reunion.’ And the final short film titled ‘Miracle’ is written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj.

Anthologies are a new entree in Tamil Cinema, and we have seen Halitha Shameem trying this format with 2019’s surprise-hit Sillu Karuppatti. And ever since the nation went into lockdown, there was this thought running on the back of my mind that filmmakers would try and attempt infuriating films with the Corona backdrop. And I am sure there would be one or two films which will annoy us with mediocre writing, and a needless message about Humanity.

But with Putham Pudhu Kaalai, the experienced and proficient directors had picked an emotion, worked on the story, and presented us with five different short-films that are relevant and refreshing. Before we dive into the subject of each film, I would like to appreciate the production team for adhering to the rules for filming during the ‘Unlock’ Phase and crafting a beautiful movie.

With minimal locations to shoot, which is mostly under one roof, they managed to bring out the best. And it amazed me how they organized everything as the cinematography for every film looked and felt unique even with the limitations. The production design was off-the-roof, and the choice of the house was also very distinct.

Putham Pudhu Kaalai begins with Sudha Kongra’s short, which is about a widow and widower, who seems to have had a past, exploring the long-lost love between them. Sudha used alternate young self of the elderly couple to showcase their love with a message on how the people you love make you feel differently, possibly young at heart.

Furthermore, Gautham Vasudev Menon’s segment is by far my favorite in the film. It is about the affection and regard between a grandfather and his granddaughter, who is reluctant to meet him in the first instance. I will not discuss the performances of anyone in this film, except M. S. Bhaskar. He is the most prolific actor in the business, a talent not used to its fullest potential, and one of the few actors who can make the audience cry with his sensational and sensitive acting.

Suhasini Mani Ratnam’s short make us believe that true love still exists. Along with the master Mani Ratnam, she improvises the film with quite a few tear-jerking moments, which were whelming to watch. Rajiv Menon’s part was the quickest one to end. Yet he managed to recite what he intended too. The last short in Putham Pudhu Kaalai differs from the rest of the segments. Director Karthik Subbaraj tells us miracles do happen, and it might come about in bizarre situations.

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The background score and songs by an ensemble list of music directors deserve appreciation. They understand the requirement of each film and adds value to them. Also, each actor in every short performed evenly.

Overall, Putham Pudhu Kaalai is a path-breaking attempt in Tamil Cinema. With people these days leaning towards OTT platforms for their source of entertainment, it can pave the way for filmmakers to explore new genres and present a crisp short rather than making a full featurette. Watch ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’ on Amazon Prime Video here.

Rating – 4/5 | Grade – A

Images via Amazon Prime Video