Paava Kadhaigal (2020)
SPOILER ALERT
I was honestly not even planning on watching this, because I thought I wasn't in the right head space for such a heavy subject but then I came across a Sai Pallavi interview that seemed super interesting but it contained spoilers for this movie, so I had to. Well, well, well. Going to review the films in the order I watched them, and then give my overall opinions about the anthology, minus the Vignesh Shivan short of course. Here we go:
1. Thangam (directed by Sudha Kongara Prasad)
Trigger warning: t*ansphobia
First of all, I would just like to mention that trans community's criticism that trans characters should not be played by cis actors needs to be taken more seriously by the film industries. Active efforts should be made to cast trans actors, and encourage their careers in our cinemas.
Secondly, I must say that I found this movie very powerful- not flawless, but moving in a way that made me question my own privileges as a cis person. Privileges like daring to fall in love, or even demand respect and affection from those around me. Kalidas Jayaram's performance is heartbreaking, but also restrained. He manages to give his character the depth and dignity she deserves, and for that alone, he has my heart. However, I do wish the movie hadn't followed the "queer character dies" trope. Also, that it had tried to explore the feelings of Shanthanu Bhagyaraj's character towards Kalidas' character. Both of these are somehow very glaring flaws to me in what I otherwise found quite an impactful film.
In short, Sudha ma'am shows no signs of stopping. More power to her.
2. Vaanmagal (directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon)
Major, major, MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING FOR r*pe, c*ild abuse and toxic patriarchy.
So, Simran was absolutely amazing here, and that's the best part about this rape revenge drama. She proved once again that it's the middle aged actresses who're carrying Indian cinema on their shoulders, because the rest of this short was a mess. Probably a well-intentioned mess, but a mess nonetheless (that's me being kind, but anyway). Firstly, there was no need to show the child getting raped in such graphic detail. It was disturbing, to say the least, and I shudder to think what a survivor must have felt had they seen this. Secondly, castration? That's your answer for rape, GVM? And yes, I know he's not saying that's what should be done to all rapists, but then what is he saying? It kind of pissed me off, not gonna lie. Thirdly, what was UP with that monologue of Simran's in the end? Actually, WHAT WAS UP WITH THE ENDING? Why was it so messy, I fail to understand. Fourthly, there was no need for the "my 12 year old has become a woman" line. That actually pissed me off more than the castration, because it adheres to the age-old notions that rape is somehow this transformative process and not an act of violence deeply rooted in patriarchal conceptualisations of honour. Fifthly (oh GVM), WHY WAS THERE SUCH A MAJOR SPOILER FOR VETRI'S SEGMENT IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS ONE? WHY WEREN'T WE WARNED BEFOREHAND? WHAT WAS THE NEED FOR THAT SPOILER OMFG IT LITERALLY DIDN'T ADD ANYTHING TO YOUR NARRATIVE GVM PLEASE GET OUT. AND IF IT ABSOLUTELY HAD TO BE INCLUDED, WHY WASN'T VAANMAGAL AFTER OOR IRAVU??? I HATE EVERYTHING. Phew, I feel lighter now. Also, I must also appreciate the performance of Simran's and GVM's son in the film- he was superb, especially in the scene where he breaks down in front of his friend, and asks to be comforted. Well, at least GVM did his part in fighting toxic masculinity.
TL;DR: probably my least favourite out of the three I watched- it basically became trauma porn after a while. One last message to GVM though: pls take retirement sarr.
3. Oor Iravu (Vetrimaaran)
This one will haunt me for a long time to come. The issue of honour killing has existed for as long as I can remember in this country, and it became a proper menace during my adolescence. Inter-caste unions are still a huge taboo, so much so that falling in love has managed to become a taboo in our society. No wonder Indians are so obsessed with movies- we are a thoroughly repressed lot, and what we can't dare to do in real life, we'll cheer for in movies. Shameless is the word you're looking for. Or spineless.
That's why Oor Iravu is so important. Despite wanting acceptance from her natal family, Sai Pallavi's character is just not afraid to live life on her own terms. That's what really struck me about the way this woman was written- she wants her family to love her as they did before, but she won't bend before them. She'll have mature conversations about what happened, try to make them see things from her point of view, and more importantly, try to make them see that a whole world exists out of their limited sphere. It's how real this character felt that made the end so much more tragic and personal for me. One of the last things she does before dying is to remind her father that she is his favourite child- even then, it's unfathomable to her that such cruelty could exist in the world, a place where she was trying to bring her own child. Prakash Raj, as always, excels as the father AND the villain, two genres he basically rules over in Indian cinema.
After a point, there is really not much that I can say about this movie, because it affected me on such a personal level. All I can say is that this is the one short I would recommend even to those who are not planning on watching the entire anthology. There is a certain truthfulness about caste here that I found both jarring and refreshing- jarring because of the personal associations and refreshing because for most of my life, I have watched Hindi movies which unfortunately do not address caste enough (or at all), which makes this movie a must-watch according to me.
To conclude- I am still not over the spoiler let-down. For such an ambitious anthology, the oversight is baffling. Also, I am curious to know why all three segments that I watched take place in a rural backdrop? Doesn't "honour" and all its trauma exist in cities? It's time Indian films move past showing social problems in rural areas and come to cities. No one is "enlightened" or anything here, people just hide their bigotry better. As for Vignesh- bro pls stick to heterosexuality in the future. We are quite used to no representation, thank you very much. And Sudha ma'am and others, kindly try and cast trans actors. Amen.
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