Movie Review : Chiclets
CAST:
SATHVIK VERMA as Varun NAYAN KARISHMA as Riya
SUREKHA VANI as Keerthi
SRIMAN as Santhosh
MANO BALA as MedicalShopOwner
JACK ROBINSON as Chikku
AMRITA HALDER as Anusha
MANJEERA as Ambi
RAJAGOPAL as Iyer
TECHICIANS:
DIRECTOR - MUTHU
DOP – KOLANCHI KUMAR
MUSIC – BALAMURALI BALU
EDITOR – VIJAY VELUKUTTY
BANNER – SSB FILMS
PRODUCED BY - SRINIVASAN GURU A
CO-PRODUCER BY – SAVARNA SREE
RELEASE – TAMIL CINE CORPORATION
DISTRIBUTOR – NANTHANAGOPAL
PRO - YUVRAAJ
Chiclets is a story about teenage years and the common growing up pains which affect younsters at this time, transitioning into adulthood. How parents need to be aware and handle their kids with care is what the director aims to convey.
3 teenage girls who just pass their board exams, decide to unwind and relax. 2 of them are attracted to boys while the third is attracted to a girl and is confused about her feelings.
Their families dote on them and have great hopes about their future. But when one of the 3 friends suggests that life is worth living fully and one must give in to desires to express freedom, the other are impressed and all decide to go for a party night out of town with the respective guys they know, lying to their gullible families about a wedding trip.
What happens when their families find out? How do they react? Are they able to foil the plans of the youngsters? Do the couples go home plan accomplished or with deeper learnings that night?
The film goes the glamor way in getting its message across. The three beautiful and talented heroines do their best to support the director's vision, which seems to be partly to give a message to parents and at the same time appeal to youth audiences, via the adult themed route, to instil some life lessons as well.
The actors have put their best foot forward, portraying the glam side and there several scenes of skimpily clad heroines and double meaning dialogues. A grandmother who helps the clueless parents trace their kids, is shown in a so-called 'comical' light, with gestures and dialogues that don't suit her seniority.
However, there are some interesting scenes like the one with Manobala and another with cops point of view on safety. All the actors playing parents have done a good job.
Overall, Chiclets seems to send out mixed signals thanks to its adult themed dialogues and scenes of objectification, while trying to show the parents struggle and point of view, ending up with a mish mash of sorts. A little better handling of the interesting contemporary theme of love and growing up in the modern age would have worked better for the film.