Thiruchitrambalam

Pazhaniswamy, whom everyone calls Pazham, works as a delivery rider. He lives with his father and grandfather; he barely speaks to his father because of an accident years ago. They lost his mother and sister in it. Pazham drags his life along: work, home, friends. His childhood friend Shobana lives on the same street and they meet every evening. He takes an interest in other women, it never works out, and Shobana watches. Mithran Jawahar directs. Dhanush plays Pazham and Nithya Menen plays Shobana; Bharathiraja and Prakash Raj are in the cast. The film was a large commercial success in Tamil cinema and among the most talked about productions of its year. What the narrative builds is not large events; it proceeds inside daily life and avoids dramatic peaks. The grandfather is played by Bharathiraja and is the best liked part of the film; the old man does not give his grandson advice, he keeps him company. The silence between father and son is the real matter and the film does not resolve it until the end. Anirudh Ravichander's music had a share in its success and the songs became known separately. Its limit is predictability; where the romantic strand is going is clear early. Who it is for: viewers who like Tamil family drama and Dhanush. Who it is not for: little happens, the pace is slow, and the narrative is familiar.