Wednesday Dec 03 2008, Chennai

Poo: A visual bouquet

Directed by - Sasi

Produced by - Nesagee Cinemas P.R. Saraswathy

Music by - S.S. Kumaran

Casts - Srikanth, Parvathy

Starring - Srikanth, Parvathy

‘Poo’, director Sasi’s cinematic adaptation of S.Tamil Selvan’s classic short story ‘Veyilodu Poy’, is a refreshing experience.

‘Poo’, set in the rustic surroundings of Rajapalayam, revolves around a boy and a girl. It also speaks about their families and their dreams. The girl Mari is very much fond of the boy Thangarasu right from the childhood. The father of the boy, who is a hard worker and a poor man, has a dream to bring up his boy as an engineer to lead a decent life.

Later the boy is sent to Chennai to study engineering and the girl gets a job in the local fireworks factory. Mari’s love for Thangarasu grows stronger with the time. Her love is very simple and natural just like a flower. She is ready to undergo any ordeal for the sake of his beloved Thangarasu.

Mari tries to convey her deep love to Thangarasu but somehow fails to do so. But she is confident that Thangarasu would never ditch her. Thangarasu, though he understands Mari’s love, could not reciprocate her feelings, as he has to make his hard working father happy by marrying a girl of his choice to come up in life. He gives up his love to save his father from ruining himself.

This decision leaves Mari shattered but her pure love doesn’t allow her to be sad. She seeks happiness, finding solace in the thought that if Thangarasu is happy, she too is happy. She swallows her sadness for the sake of her lover’s well being. But life has other plans because of which Mari finds herself in a deeper sorrow.

The strength of the movie is its simplicity and poetic portrayal. Director Sasi has successfully told the story without resorting to any kind of gimmicks. He has come out with a credible and realistic screenplay. He has also etched out the characters quite well, paying adequate attention to insignificant characters too. The character of Thangarasu’s father looks like one out of a well-written literary work.

Sasi’s visual sense is amazing. A particular shot that captures together the dejected Mari shedding tears sitting inside the semi dark room and her mother shouting at his brother (who’s standing outside) for his betrayal deserves mention. The scene in which Mari meets her goat after a long time is poetic. The childhood incidents and Mari’s friendship with another girl are well portrayed.

The way the director has used the landscape with the help of the cinematographer P.G.Muthiah is noteworthy. Sasi, who has penned some sharp, sensitive, and realistic dialogues, makes effective use of silence too.

Parvathy, a new entrant to Tamil, is a revelation. She has been given a meaty role she handles it with élan. Her varied expressions, her dialogue delivery and body language are quite commendable. The performance is sure to receive a few awards.

Srikanth deserves appreciation for accepting to act in a heroine-oriented movie. He adds value to the role by underplaying his role and willingly playing second fiddle to the protagonist.

Cinematographer P.G.Muthiah has brought the rural charm onto screen with natural colours and aesthetically-shot sequences. Veerasamar’s art work has ably complemented the efforts of the camera and the director. Debutant composer S.S.Kumaran deserves accolades for his background score. The songs “Aavaram Poo…”and “Choo Choo Maari…”stand out.

On the flip side, the second half drags a bit and the director could have done away with a couple of songs including the one that takes place in the marriage house. The suicide drama of Mari is not convincing and the comical scenes happening in the tea shop turn out to be redundant after a point.

Despite these flaws, one can easily rank the film among the finest in contemporary Tamil mainstream movies. No less than poetry on celluloid.
Review by-Aravindan D.I.