Director Suseenthiran has decided to go back to his original winning formula of using relative newcomers after the debacle called Rajapattai. What is most intriguing (positively shocking for some) is that his latest flick is a mere 106 minutes long (that is about the time when we get back to our seats after interval). This time around, he picks the subject of teenage romance and its naive nature which leads to one of the most dreaded form of societal stigma in India i.e premarital conception. This territory has been trodden upon in Tamil cinema only at the surface level (only to the extent of the Hero's sister doing the act and the ensuing suffering to be more precise). Given Suseenthiran's fantastic track record albeit with the black spot called Rajapattai, one can say that the film has a good chance of being as interesting as its premise. But the film more than lives up to that expectation. Starring newcomer Santosh Ramesh, Manisha Yadav(of Vazhakku En 18/9 fame), Jayaprakash, Poornima Jayaram (after how many years?) and Thulasi (Remember that child in Shankarabharanam?), Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer is as mature as dramas can get.
The plot revolves around a whirlwind affair between two college mates that goes awry when the two lovers take that ultimate step. The girl becomes pregnant and their lives go into a free fall taking their parents along with them.
Suseenthiran sticks to the point throughout the film. You will find no songs that are not for the situation, no scenes that do not add to the plot and no actor whose role is not connected with the plot. One is so pleasantly surprised with the striking delicacy with which the topic in question has been handled by the writer/director. The writing is so grassroot and so uncomplicated, its brilliant. The plot moves at a fast pace without compromising with even one bit of the sincerity required for so delicate a concept. The director has been so successful in projecting the teen lives of urban India and the very naivety of that age that one feels convinced that he has shot something straight out of reality. There are no big dialogues that come with the movie. The conclusion of the movie is one of the most striking and most melancholy conclusions ever. Yet, the movie delivers entertainment, food for thought and is unambiguous in conveying its message. It is an unqualified triumph for Suseenthiran.
Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer is an example of perfect casting. Newcomer Santosh Ramesh both looks and acts his role in a form most close to reality. Manisha Yadav gives in a good performance too. The best performance however is that of Thulasi (yet again, remember that child who croons Dorakuna Ituvanti Seva in the climax of Shankarabharanam?). She plays a distressed modern day middle class mother to the hilt. Jayaprakash is adequate for his role. Poornima Jayaram is good in a 5-10 minute role as the male lead's mother (that apart, it was great to see her in screen again after nearly 3 decades). The rest of the characters including mainly the bunch of college mates is a good ensemble.
The technical aspects are adequate with special mention for the sharp editing by Antony and some hummable tunes by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
In addition to being the most mature take on teen foibles ever seen on Indian screens, Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer is a must watch for every teen in town and also for the parents of our times, for it presents an unflinching view on one of the most dreaded societal maladies of contemporary times without compromising in the entertainment front (though the conclusion and the general atmosphere in the film are essentially melancholic). A most gripping teen drama.
Rating : 4 on 5
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