A scene from ‘Raghuthatha’
the initial stage of Raghu ThathaIt takes us back to the 60s. Even during the opening credits we are shown newspaper clippings of important events of that period. Anti-Hindi slogans and protests are rampant in Tamil Nadu, a state that is fiercely vocal against the imposition of Hindi. Indira Gandhi took over as the country’s first female Prime Minister, giving women across the country more confidence and independence.
But that is not the case with Kayalvizhi, who grows up in Valluvanpettai, a small village in Tamil Nadu. When we first see Kayalvizhi (Keerthy Suresh), she is wearing a shirt. She tells her mother who asks her to dress properly: “Ponna Adakamallan Iruka Mudiyathu‘” (I have no interest in becoming a civilised woman). There is rebellion in her voice, and what stands out – right in her first dialogue – is how Kayal doesn’t even wait for her mother to finish her sentence and immediately responds with an emphatic ‘no’.
It seems like he has heard this line many times in his life.
She hears it again, much later in the film, when a marriage proposal knocks on her door, much against her wishes. She tells the boy’s father, “mandya odachuduvan(I will break your head) Kayalvizhi is told to keep quiet and “behave like a girl” and she doesn’t listen to that at all.
This rebellious nature is reflected in her public life as well. She is at the forefront of anti-Hindi protests in her village, which leads to the shutting down of Hindi Prachar Sabhas in the town, angering some people.
Kayalvizhi inherits this trait from her grandfather, played by MS Bhaskar, who continues his journey in Tamil cinema in top form. Raghu ThathaThe title is derived from a humorous one-liner from a 1981 Tamil film indru poi nalai waThe character of ‘Thatha’ is interestingly the most important. She has a close bond with her granddaughter Kayla, which is stronger than her relationship with her parents, and she is forced to do something against her will. Will she do it?
Raghu Thatha
Director: Suman Kumar
Mould: Keerthi Suresh, MS Bhaskar, Ravindra Vijay, Devdarshini
StoryA progressive bank employee must find ways to stick to his ideals
About the biggest plus Raghu Thatha Its biggest strength is its irreverence and humour. Even a moderately serious scene has a good dose of humour added, and it doesn’t just come from the lead characters. Kayal’s brother’s wife gets very little screen time, but in the end she makes the whole hall applaud with her wit. There are two small-town criminals who steal the scene at a certain stage. And yes, MS Bhaskar delivers poker-faced witty dialogues every now and then that make you laugh.
But the movieThe initial parts of the conversation between Kayal and Selvam (Ravindra Vijay) could have been removed. Ravindra Vijay convinces with his performance, but the change in his attitude during the film is not explained as clearly as it should have been.
Raghu Thatha Directed by Suman Kumar who has written hit series like earlier the family man And Fake.The calm approach that the film has in the first half is met by a 20-minute roller-coaster in the end that brings a smile to your face. Music composer Sean Roldan has also had a lot of fun with the tunes; the music adds a pleasant flavour to the narrative (‘Poruthiru Selva’ sung by SP Charan deserves special praise. Don’t we all miss SPB?)
And in the middle of all this is Keerthy Suresh, who has given yet another powerful performance. There is some naturalness in Keerthy here, which makes even the message-laden scenes seem less heavy. Most of the film is just her… CreatureIf that’s not a sign of solid performance, what is?
Raghu Thatha is currently running in cinemas
