Oru Naal Koothu

Cast	:	Dinesh, Ramesh Thilak, Bala Saravanan, Charlie Mia George , Riythvika, Nivetha Pethuraj
Director	:	Nelson.S V M
Cinematographer	:	Gokul
Music	:	Justin Prabhakaran
Editor	:	V J Sabu Joseph
Producer	:	Kenanya Films
Release Date	:	June 10, 2016
Length	:	2 Hours & 10 Minutes
Language	:	Tamizh

My Thoughts

Nelson S.V.M’s directorial debut Oru Naal Koothu revolves around the lives of three women – Lakshmi (Mia George), Susheela (Riythvika) and Kavya (Nivetha Pethuraj). Their lives, situations and lifestyle are totally different from one another; yet interconnected by the common thread called marriage.

Lakshmi hails from Trichy and lives under the shade of her dominating father. In spite of the regular visits by the prospective grooms, she is unmarried and becomes the topic of discussion in her little village. Some people blame her father for not marrying her off and some others suspect that she has some “problems”. Susheela is a celebrated RJ. Yet she is unhappy because she is unmarried. Her family is pressurizing her and she also feels desperate because her older brother (Karunakaran) could be married only after her. Kavya who belongs to a rich family is well-educated and earns well. She has a boyfriend (Dinesh), but he is not ready to marry her yet. While her family asks her consider another boy, her boyfriend asks her to wait until he “settles down”. She is stuck in a dilemma. It can be seen that the men in their lives are compassionate. Yet they are tied down by male ego and fears.

With an interestingly woven screenplay and crisp editing, Oru Naal Koothu convincingly depicts the misery of these women. The dialogs are equally good. The songs are impressive. "Maangalyamae" conveys the spirit of the film, "Adiyae Azhagae"  tears the heart ,"Patta Podunga Ji"  makes us dance and "Eppo Varuvaaro"  effectively coveys the eternal wait of a woman to get married. The cinematographer has presented the film in young and vibrant manner.

A little over two hours, the movie might make us wonder if marriage is the only thought in a woman’s mind. But, the thoughtful dialogs makes us understand that it need not be. But, the family, friends and society would constantly remind them that they are unmarried and inflict a fear in them. The intensity of the fear is such that everything else (their self-respect, identity, living family, professional achievements, good friends, etc.) seem to be meaningless.

All the actors have delivered a good performance. However, Dinesh’ face sometimes look blank and expressionless. As serene and helpless Lakshmi, Mia Goerge steals our heart. Nivetha comes across as fresh air. She is so convincing that it is difficult to believe that she is just a debutant. Riythvika of Madras fame speaks through eyes. Her character is the most liberated one and she has depicted that with conviction. Charlie as the unmarried middle aged man emphasizes on the importance of marriage and Karunakaran as the supportive brother of Susheela is natural. Bala Saravanan’s instant philosophies and one liners will make us laugh.

If Iraivi was about the plight of women after marriage, Oru Naal Koothu is about their difficulties before marriage. It interestingly portrays the dilemma of today’s generation. The unexpected twists in the end makes it even better.

Go for it.

Rating

3/5