The Trip Down The Memory Lane... Review on Autograph Movie

In short, this is simply a remake of Mera Naam Joker in Tamil, suitably changed to suit southern comforts.

In long, this movie made on shoe string budget of 18 million rupees manages to show case some of the best parts of India in its cinematography, a well sketched screenplay that tugs your heart at several places and keeps you interested in the proceedings with some brilliant acting by lead actor / actresses.

The trip down the memory lane

How many times in your life have you felt like visiting your past and checking out the present? How many times do you long to go and visit that first school, the places where you had your happiest memories, those schools, and those teachers? Do you forget your first love, your first kiss, you first shave, your first sense of adolescence? Haven?t you always felt like visiting your depressing past wishing things could have gone either way? Would you rather live in the past, or let the unknown future await you?

The movie aptly manages to convey all the emotions and more.

Meet Senthil, a man about to marry, who decides to take a trip down the memory lane, not only to rediscover his past but also to invite his remaining friends to his marriage. Along with his journey, he recalls at different points his past, his child hood, his college days and more importantly his love in his life.

Discover an earthen village in Tamil Nadu where Senthil studies and has his first crush on a class mate - Kamala. The awaiting at bridges, the deliberate cycle punctures, the school punishments and other simple nuances slowly bond the two of them. However is it just a first crush or was it the first love? Senthil discovers his happy childhood and sees himself in sorrow on the last day of school ? barely managing to take a autograph of his love to never see her again, until he visits the village again.

Skip a few years, and view the breath taking beauty of Kerala captured so brilliantly by the cinematographer. Senthil now in a college in Kerala, must find ways to communicate in an unknown language. He is drawn by the beauty and simplicity of Lathika, who also is attracted to him. He discovers that he truly loves her, and yet things don?t work they way he wanted them to.

A few more years ahead, meet Senthil in Chennai, who meets Divya who gives him a break in Advertising world. Not only she lends him support when it mattered the most, but keeps him encouraged and enthused in his work to succeed. He in turn appreciates her friendship, however a mutual understanding lays it rest to just friendship.

Senthil travels his past meeting his familiar friends, exploring familiar places which now look much changed, and meets his past loves to rediscover how their life changed in all those years. At return, in a culminating finale, he sees himself with his past and present with the women who mattered most to him in his life and the woman he is about to marry.

Memorable details

The movie comes with its fair share of some brilliantly shot scenes ? Senthil?s and Kamala?s parting, Senthil meeting Kamala again, Senthil?s meeting with Lathika over boats and their subsequent meets, Senthil?s parents hopelessly trying to get their drunk son back to senses, Senthi?s and Divya?s friendship, and perhaps the elongated but well done climax.

The direction is top class from frame one. Cheran doesn?t waste a lot of time getting down to the story and almost keeps it one track movie for most of it. He used as many as four cinematographers for the movie, and boy does it show on the movie and how. The actresses are well chosen, and each of them play their roles to the T. Even Senthil?s friends play their parts well.

Music is good too. Not all songs come in complete pieces, but they all jell well, and except one or two, they didn?t really looked forced at all. On the whole, I would be willing to listen to this album again and again.

The film is harmed by a somewhat sluggish pace in second half, but that doesn?t necessarily bore you. A few scenes like the Tamil Patriotic jingoism was simply not required and looked ridiculous in the proceedings of the movie. The film?s strength lies in its screenplay for the way it brings about the past in you and touches you. The film does manage to successfully transport the viewers back to their past too, and that perhaps is the biggest highlight of this movie ? Along with Senthil you too are likely to recall your past too.

Overall

This is definitely one of the good Tamil films in recent times. Its immensely watchable.