Pokkisham Tamil Movie
Cheran's signature style is evident as this love story unfolds in flashback mode. Viewers are taken down memory lane by Mahesh (Aryan Ramesh), Lenin's son, when he chances upon his late father's diary and a bundle of letters in an old suitcase. Rewind to the seventies.
Lenin (Cheran), a mariner working in Calcutta harbor is down in Chennai, to be by his father's side, who is recovering post surgery. On the adjacent bed in the hospital lies a Muslim lady, undergoing treatment. Her daughter Nadeera (Padmapriya) takes care of her. The Hindu boy and the Muslim girl are gradually drawn towards each other when Lenin helps her with financial aid for her mother's treatment. They also bond over their love for literature.
Lenin returns to Calcutta and Nadeera is back to her home in Nagore. Their friendship is nurtured into love through (remember those blue colored inland) letters exchanged. The agony of waiting for the written word and the ecstasy of sharing feelings in ink are beautifully captured in the story making their love intense. And when the lovers pine for each other, Lenin's father meets Nadeera's father seeking her hand in marriage. Indebted to Lenin's family for saving his wife with timely help, he agrees to the alliance saying that while he is a true Muslim, he is a human first. He only asks the lovers to wait awhile and to restrict their letters to one a month.
Like all Cheran films, this story is neat and clean, emphasizing on the richness of love and its purity, unlike the rushed relationships of today aptly portrayed on celluloid. In an era of SMS and Internet alliances, when communication is just a click away, Cheran's film comes as a breath of fresh air. A great deal of effort has gone to recreate the seventies. Camera work over the river Hoogly and the coast of Nagore is enchanting. Not to forget Padmapriya who looks lovely as a demure Muslim girl. If only there were not so many songs. The film could do with tight editing too. Cheran puts in a good performance, besides directing the film. Padmapriya has essayed her role well, both as young Nadeera and the aged self. Her make -up though as an old woman is not impressive.
So do the lovers unite? Do watch the film with the family, especially in today's age of haste, where do we find lovers waiting graciously for each other with the same fervor of their first meeting. Cheran always manages to bring in the magnanimous side of the human face.
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