Attakathi (2012)

Everything about Attakathi was absolutely delightful, starting from the title itself, which loosely translates to 'cardboard knife'.

I loved how almost every character in the film was hilarious and quirky, but more importantly, how all these characters fit in with each other and managed to seem real and not caricatures. Pa Ranjith has a way with good screenplays, and it's no wonder his debut reflects that. 

My favourite character was of course Dinakaran or Dina or Atta, the protagonist played by Dinesh Ravi. I don't know how to explain it, but there was something so likeable about Dina that despite having seen the most toxic versions of his character in countless movies before, you cannot help but root for him and his quest for love.

Except when you feel exasperated by him, which is every 10 minutes. Basically, his characterisation and development is the perfect formula to keep one hooked to a film.

However, I was not just hooked to the film. I actively wanted it to not end, so that I could prolong the pleasure as long as I could. I can't remember the last time a movie made me feel this way, where I kept on delaying resuming it after pausing, because I was so paranoid it would get over too quickly for my liking.

Yeah, I have issues. So what?

The third hero of the film, after Pa Ranjith and Dinesh Ravi, is the music composer Santhosh Narayanan. The background music and the songs fit in seamlessly with the rest of the movie, making the entire experience even more memorable.

Finally, I just want to say that Attakathi has easily become one of my favourite rom-coms and I can't wait to watch it again, very very soon. There truly is no one like Pa Ranjith to make you fall in love with films all over again. That too with his debut!

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