Aug 19, 2016 04:08 PM
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(Updated Aug 19, 2016 04:35 PM)
Director Raju Murugan is back with a movie that will completely enthral the audiences. After Cuckoo, his debut movie, in which he has shown everyone the darkness in lives of the blind; he has scaled upwards with Joker in cinematic excellence by showing the lives of a common man who is living blissfully in darkness, used, abused and overpowered by those who has been venturing the powerful circles.
The movie doesn’t stick to the usual formulae of Kollywood and doesn’t have stars to get noticed, but has volume to tell. Let’s start with the introduction scene of hero. It is not exactly how you want your movie to begin, the hero, Mannar Mannan(Guru Somasundaram) is seen squatting in a makeshift toilet reading a popular Tamil daily while relieving himself. The crucial interval block has a scene where the heroine Malliga(Ramya Pandian) looks across his house while he boasts he has colour TV and mixer grinder, but when she asks him if he has a toilet? He is stumped and she walks out of his marriage proposal unless he has a toilet. Truly, bringing a topic that has been not in an important state of discussion but needs to be highlighted again and again.
The protagonist lives in a village in Dharmapuri, a backward district in Tamil Nadu. He is an angry crusader, and behaves like ‘people’s president’, with a social activist Ponoonjal(Mu Ramaswamy) and Isai(Gayatri Krishna) acting as his advisor and P.A. respectively, who are recording his campaigns on social media and he has a huge following. The trio takes up fight against hypocritical bureaucrats who deny justice to the poor.
Mannar takes up issue of a goat being hurt by a sand truck and fighting for compensation for a 4-year-old school girl who falls into open well, from a school correspondent. Ironically, the goat is given more than needed compensation but the plea for the school girl is denied saying that the school premises owner is not responsible. The dejected President takes matters in his hand and gets arrested for ill-behaviour. When produced in the court the female judge notices that he is not in correct state of mind and orders an investigation along with medical attention. This takes the movie in flashback where the love story of Mannar and Malliga is portrayed and with the negligence of government bringing great tragedy to the couple and Mannar losing his sanity, opening up many questions for everyone in the society to answer.
Guru Somasundaram has already been acclaimed for his previous performances and with this movie he has displayed histrionics. He has played the role of sullen President with quirkiness and taken it to the next level. He is equally captivating with his ordinary innocent labour who falls in love with a girl and is falling hard for her even after she denies him marriage. Mu Ramaswamy as social activist Ponoonjal, completely justifies his character and maintains the reputation of senior theatre actor and professor of acting. Ramya Pandian brings life to a village girl who rejects the hero for the absence of toilet at his home but slowly falls for his charms. Gayatri Krishna as digital marketing personnel and P.A. is perfect with her character and sticks to the role efficiently.
The director has taken his story from many real life incidents happening across rural India. He has added many local colour and humour to the script that makes it entertaining. This amplified by amazing background score by Sean Roldan – it is in sync with the theme of the film and doesn’t hamper it like in usual movies. Chezhiyan uses the handheld camera with utmost clarity, such that when he takes the tour of the slum and the images are so real, one can scrunch on the stench that is coming from the open gutters and his handiwork is evident till the last gut wrenching image of Malliga.
Raju Murugan joins the list of elite modern day directors, who can elevate Tamil cinema to international levels. His dialogues are sharp and hard hitting, comes too strong, but has been toned down in comparison to his previous film. He wins it big telling a story that is disguised as a satire for today’s political state, while also raising question a relevant question upon mercy killing being legalised to end the suffering of many, endlessly. Raju Murugan has taken up a down trodden path and kudos to him to get his hand in a topic that no one dares to pick up.
There are downsides to the movie, but are not even worth mentioning as the story keeps you engrossed the whole time.
My verdict, watch this movie to see how real heroes fight for public justice but look like Jokers to the same public. It will make you give more respect to those who sacrifice everything. A must-watch.
