Balaji Sakthivel seems to have a knack form crafting movies that remain etched on your mind long after you have watched them. You empathize with the characters long after they are gone, you wish their dreams come true. You hope against hope that the end one would expect from Balaji never comes. For all his amazing story telling, themes and whatever, he does come across as a very melancholic persona.
Kalluri does not disappoint. Set in a semi urban arts college, it brings out clearly the dreams, passions, sacrifices and normal lives of people who come to the college amidst great sacrifices of their families. It brings out the live throb in the eyes of everybody that they should succeed. Not matter what the cost. For the loss cannot be estimated.
Kalluri does not pander. It does not show the sacrifices as sufferings, grumblings or negativities. It raises a paean to the families. Everything in the movie is joyous and splendid.
The characters are beautifully portrayed by the actors themselves. Each one of them has lived it out. I really liked the character of Adhilakshmi and also Muthu's sister. They are beautiful daughters of the soil. Kalai, Ramesh, Muthu, Shobana, Adhi, Kamakshi, Nagarani, each of them capture the viewer's heart with their naive and innocent facades which are for once true to soul. Even the senior Karthik who tries to woo Shobana has done a beautiful cameo.
Each shot in the movie has been thought about, lived over and created. Maybe I would have omitted the first song which the seniors sing. Was natural but raucous.
The relation that exists precariously between Muthu and Shobana: the love that is and that is not. The utter failure it is going to face. The pathos and emotions. The true reflection on the states of their social strata. But despite all that: The love that arises naturally: as a weed on the rice patch. Hardy, beautiful, and yet not to be.
Balaji does leave you hoping, tugging at your heartstrings, to hope that their love would at least brook recognition if not acceptance.
The end was trite. I say so because of Balaji and not because of the ending. You know that it is not going to be happy. It is going to be stark horrifying reality. A cine goer is not to be treated his share of happiness. He is going to be left deprived of the happiness even in theaters. I am being harsh.
The movie is decent throughout. Almost a harsh pointer to all other movies as this is the way the culture goes and this is way a movie should be made. A hit not because of glam dolls, gyrations of the hero, a larger than life plot, a utter copy of one of the mega stars, or a lift from a Hollywood plot.
I want to go ranting about the kollywood scene, India's social setup and its utter insignificance to cinema's today. But let me stop.
For Kalluri is the last word in good cinemas hitting the screens at this time.
