Duration: 140 minutes (Showing in theatres). Director: Vishal Venkat. Cast: Ashok Selvan, Reyaa, Manikandan, Abi Haasan, Anju Kurian, Riythvika, K.S. Ravikumar, Praveen and Bhanupriya. (Rating: **1/2)
Director Vishal Venkat’s ‘Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal’ is a reasonably well-made entertainer that manages to keep you interested for the most part but does not leave you entirely convinced by the time it ends.
The film’s story revolves around four people, each of whom belong to a different segment of society.
Pradeesh (Abi Haasan), an aspiring actor and son of a famous director, is super-rich. Praveen (played by Praveen), an IT employee who is in town and looking to go back to his project in the US, belongs to the upper-middle class.
Vijay (Ashok Selvan), who works in a mobile shop as a salesman, and Rajasekar (Manikandan), who’s with the housekeeping department of a firm, belong to the middle class and lower middle class respectively.
All these characters have nothing in common except that they all have flaws that greatly inconveniences everybody around them. The sad part is while everybody around them is aware of their personality warts, they are not.
These changes when suddenly one day, an accident occurs and a man dies. How the accident changes all four characters is what the film is all about.
The film works by and large primarily because of the fact that the stories of two characters — Rajasekar and Vijay — are told with a lot of passion and conviction. The stories of the other two — Praveen and Pradeesh — aren’t as convincing and appear to be a little far off from reality.
For instance, the film has a sequence that shows Pradeesh, the actor son of a big director, being accused of killing the man in the accident. As public opinion gathers against him, Pradeesh’s father and mother, who, we are told deeply cares about their son, are shown playing video games with an actress who was primarily responsible for the needle of suspicion to point at him!
Rajasekar’s story is the most impressive of the lot as it effectively communicates the message it looks to send across. Manikandan, who impressed in ‘Jai Bhim’ as Rajakannu, does an outstanding job once again as Rajasekar in this film.
As a man who is always in a tearing hurry to go up the ladder of success without taking the time to properly complete tasks entrusted to his care, Manikandan does a fantastic job. Thanks to the manner in which the character is fleshed out, the message that one must complete what one takes up, comes across clearly.
Ashok Selvan is the next best performer in this film. He delivers a commendable performance as a man who is unable to express his love for his kind, understanding father. He nails it in some of the sequences, especially the one in which he hugs Manikandan, after being overcome by guilt at not having done enough for his father when he was alive.
The film features some brilliant performances from Nasser, who plays Vijay’s father, and Ilavarasu, who’s cast as Rajasekar’s uncle. Actress Reyaa, who plays Malar, also delivers a neat performance. All these performances add value to the film and thereby help it score.
On the technical side, Radhan’s music is a big plus as are Meyyindiran’s visuals. Prasanna’s editing is neat and helps keep the narrative tight. For someone who is just starting off, director Vishal Venkat shows immense promise.
‘Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal’ catches your eye and manages to retain your attention. Where it fails though is in being able to leave you convinced.
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