Kalloori Tamil Movie
Kallori as the name suggests, is set in a college campus and dwells on the relationship among a group of friends. This is Balaji Shaktivel's third film, after the much acclaimed film, 'Kadhal.'
A simple story told in a straightforward manner, Kallori opens with a scene in a college bus. This group of first year students, joining BA History at Government Arts College has been together from their school days.
Muthu, Ramesh, Nagarani, Kayal, Kaamatchi, Iyanaar, Albert, Adhilakshmi and Salima share a great camaraderie among themselves. Shobhana their classmate is a new comer from Bangalore and remains aloof. But Kayal, the morally upright one of the group reaches out to her. She makes Shobhana realize that everyone in the group is grappling with some kind of problem. All of them come from a poor background yet they found joy in life. Thus Shobana learns to come to terms with her mother's demise and in no time she finds joy at college.
Along with happy moments at college, these friends stand by each other during trying times. Like when Salima lost her father or when Adhilakshmi, an epilepsy patient, gets an attack of fits.
Romance blossoms between Shobhana and Muthu. Muthu, whose father breaks stones in a quarry, is training to become an athlete. But his silent love for Shobana often distracts him from his goal.
With comic moments among the friends, the first half of the film entertains. However the script falters in the second half. And the tragic climax suddenly overtakes the story.
What sets this film apart though is the performance by the cast; most of who are newcomers and have never faced the camera.
Akhil as Muthu makes an impressive debut. Tamannaa as Shobhana performs well. Supporting them are the other members, especially Bharani as Ramesh, the jack in the box who is always ready with his comments. Hemalatha as Kayal gets into the skin of the character with great ease. How can you forget Nagarani as the rustic girl, always-grabbing Shobhana's share of sweets, and her western dance performance at the college cultural? Even Shobana's grandparents fitted the role to the T.
This film set in a village milieu deviates from the stereotypical ones where loud music and gory fights dominate the story.
Watch 'Kallori' for the commendable performance of the cast, which lends an authentic feel to the story, even if the plot did not match up to expectations.
