Quick Review : Sivappu Manjal Pachai
By Rinku Gupta
Sivappu Manjal Pachai is the next film of the super hit Pichaikaaran director Sasi. Produced by Abhishek Films, the movie stars Siddharth as a traffic cop and GV Prakash as a road bike racer, with Lijimol Jose as his sister and Kashmira as his love interest.
The cat and mouse game begins when traffic cop Kavin ( Siddharth) apprehends after a hot chase, illegal young bike racer Madan ( GV Prakash) and insults him in a unique manner which makes him a sworn enemy of Madan. As luck would have it, its Madan's sister ( Lijimol) who gets betrothed to Kavin. Madan who has a very strong bond with his elder sister right from childhood, is incensed at her choice and desperately tries to stop the wedding. He even tries to find her another match via a matrimony site executive ( Kashmira). Does he succeed? How does Kavin react in this game of one -up-man-ship? How does all this affect the siblings' relationship with one another?
GV Prakash shows us once again, how he can just become the character hes playing. His body language and expressions, be it fear, anger, rage, hate , helplessness or love for his sister, he aces it convincingly every time. Siddharth as the upright traffic cop gets his body language and controlled expressions just perfect, adding that extra zing to the story. The ongoing battle between the two is brought out superbly by both actors. Being a crucial element of this story, this rivalry laced with sentiments would have fallen flat if it had been overdone by either. But they both get it just right.
Lijimol Jose ( from the Malayalam industry ) is a superb find ( reminded me of Gigi in Ninaivellam Nithya in some angles ) and her controlled, nuanced acting, torn between her love for the two important men in her life, holds the movie together. GV Prakash as the adamant brother who feels betrayed, brings out the angst and depth of thier relationship beautifully.
Kashmira ( of Mission Mangal fame ) is another debutante who brings a freshness to her character, (and makes a good pair with GV Prakash) and is good find for kollywood. The romance of both pairs has a refeshing feel.
The screenplay moves swiftly, and the action scenes are well choreographed and picturized. The supporting cast does a good job of it, adding the tension and humor at various levels when needed in the story.
On the flip side, the scenes with the villain seem a trifle filmi in execution.
In this age of the usual genres of rom coms, action, thriller, horror and horror comedies, kudos to directors who bring us different fare. Sasi easily blends in a strong brother-sister sentiment movie, laced with loads of action, thrills ( well choreographed gripping road race scenes) and interspersed with situational comedy, and an on going cat and mouse game filled with tension, without any one aspect sticking out awkwardly or over done.
He throws in messages ( like how men treat women, how they percieve women, statistics and the importance of road safety rules and how they impact our lives, the signigicance of relationships, and the rising incidence of addiction amongst youth due to unscrupulous elements) but so subtly and gently that nothing seems preachy, but at the same time sticks in your head. This itself is a huge takeaway from the film, which not only entertains but seeks to do so in a responsible manner, with its heart in the right place. The significance of the title is connected to the story in an interesting manner, at two different levels. The film gives a slice of life feel, yet retaining commercial element angles along the way, thereby speaking to various sections of movie goers and making it a good family entertainer.
Sivappu Manjal Pachai is the next film of the super hit Pichaikaaran director Sasi. Produced by Abhishek Films, the movie stars Siddharth as a traffic cop and GV Prakash as a road bike racer, with Lijimol Jose as his sister and Kashmira as his love interest.
The cat and mouse game begins when traffic cop Kavin ( Siddharth) apprehends after a hot chase, illegal young bike racer Madan ( GV Prakash) and insults him in a unique manner which makes him a sworn enemy of Madan. As luck would have it, its Madan's sister ( Lijimol) who gets betrothed to Kavin. Madan who has a very strong bond with his elder sister right from childhood, is incensed at her choice and desperately tries to stop the wedding. He even tries to find her another match via a matrimony site executive ( Kashmira). Does he succeed? How does Kavin react in this game of one -up-man-ship? How does all this affect the siblings' relationship with one another?
GV Prakash shows us once again, how he can just become the character hes playing. His body language and expressions, be it fear, anger, rage, hate , helplessness or love for his sister, he aces it convincingly every time. Siddharth as the upright traffic cop gets his body language and controlled expressions just perfect, adding that extra zing to the story. The ongoing battle between the two is brought out superbly by both actors. Being a crucial element of this story, this rivalry laced with sentiments would have fallen flat if it had been overdone by either. But they both get it just right.
Lijimol Jose ( from the Malayalam industry ) is a superb find ( reminded me of Gigi in Ninaivellam Nithya in some angles ) and her controlled, nuanced acting, torn between her love for the two important men in her life, holds the movie together. GV Prakash as the adamant brother who feels betrayed, brings out the angst and depth of thier relationship beautifully.
Kashmira ( of Mission Mangal fame ) is another debutante who brings a freshness to her character, (and makes a good pair with GV Prakash) and is good find for kollywood. The romance of both pairs has a refeshing feel.
The screenplay moves swiftly, and the action scenes are well choreographed and picturized. The supporting cast does a good job of it, adding the tension and humor at various levels when needed in the story.
On the flip side, the scenes with the villain seem a trifle filmi in execution.
In this age of the usual genres of rom coms, action, thriller, horror and horror comedies, kudos to directors who bring us different fare. Sasi easily blends in a strong brother-sister sentiment movie, laced with loads of action, thrills ( well choreographed gripping road race scenes) and interspersed with situational comedy, and an on going cat and mouse game filled with tension, without any one aspect sticking out awkwardly or over done.
He throws in messages ( like how men treat women, how they percieve women, statistics and the importance of road safety rules and how they impact our lives, the signigicance of relationships, and the rising incidence of addiction amongst youth due to unscrupulous elements) but so subtly and gently that nothing seems preachy, but at the same time sticks in your head. This itself is a huge takeaway from the film, which not only entertains but seeks to do so in a responsible manner, with its heart in the right place. The significance of the title is connected to the story in an interesting manner, at two different levels. The film gives a slice of life feel, yet retaining commercial element angles along the way, thereby speaking to various sections of movie goers and making it a good family entertainer.
