Tuesday Nov 18 2008, Chennai

‘Seval’: Disappointing fare

Directed by - Hari

Produced by - M.A.Jinnah (Jinnah Creations and Ayngaran International Media Pvt. Ltd.)

Music by - G.V.Prakash

Casts - Simran, Vadivelu etc.

Starring - Bharath, Poonam Bajwa

Director Hari, with successful films like ‘Thamizh’, ‘Sami’, ‘Kovil’, ‘Arul’, ‘Aiyya’, ‘Aaru’ and ‘Vel’ behind him, has a reputation of hitting the bull’s eye at the box-office, packing his movies with the right mix of romance, action, sentiment and comedy. Such a blend is generally well-accepted by the masses. In ‘Seval’, for a change, Hari has given more importance to ‘sentiment’, which might have put him on a slippery ground.

The story is set in the backdrop of Sivasailam during 1989-1991. Rajesh is a sincere hard-worker who has a brat of a son in Arumugam (Bharath). Arumugam’s misdeeds go to the extent of even selling off an ancestral property without the knowledge of his father. Thangavelu (Vadivelu), the postman, is Arumugam’s cousin.

In what has become a common set-up in many Tamil films today, an Agraharam (area surrounding a Temple and inhabited by Brahmin families) is shown where a couple of beautiful looking sisters live. The elder is Gayatri (Simran) and the younger is Parijatham (newcomer Poonam Bajwa).

Arumugam falls for Parijatham, who entrusts him with the responsibility of completing a major task. When the former starts off to accomplish the task, he realizes that the task (and also the girl) was beyond his capabilities and reach. The realization makes him get away from her.

Meanwhile Parijatham’s father (Y Gee Mahendra) commits a blunder and gets into a tangle from which he is rescued by Arumugam. Arumugam’s magnanimity makes Parijatham fall in love with him. The village head Sampath meanwhile has an eye on Parijatham and does everything to lay his hands on her. So does Krishna, Gayathri’s brother-in-law.

Gayatri gets into an unexpected problem and seeks Parijatham’s help to protect her child. Parijatham is ready for any sacrifice for her sister, who had brought her up. Watch the film to find out how Arumugam wriggles himself out of the predicament and how he manages to save Parijatham from the clutches of Sampath and Krishna.

There is no dearth of twists and turns in the narrative but it’s a pity that all of them are too predictable to be engaging. To add to this, none of the ‘situations’ and ‘reactions’ are new to the viewers; we have seen them all in many of the legendary Sivaji Ganesan’s films throughout the seventies. Hari’s fascination with a ‘Brahmin-surrounding’, after the same setting in ‘Thamizh’ and ‘Sami’, is very much visible.

The film, however, has some positives in condemning needless superstitious beliefs and supporting widow re-marriage. The thrust, though, could have been more persuasive.

Simran, in making a comeback, essays her role neatly. She makes it count by the sheer weight of her performance. Bharath, a natural actor, doesn’t have a challenging role and sleepwalks through the film. Newcomer Poonam Bajwa, who was to make her debut opposite Jeeva in ‘Thenavattu’, makes a strong debut. Not only does Poonam look dazzling, she does emote a lot, especially in the second half.

Vadivelu’s comedy tract fails to offer any reprieve and falls flat. Vadivelu may better get a bit careful in his coming films, lest he might get stereotyped.

Music by GVP is just about okay. Normally, Hari’s films turn out to be musical hits too; this time it just might not prove to be the case. The biggest flaw in the film’s music is that the background score doesn’t gel with the set-up.

‘Seval’ is nothing but predictable fare, lacking in novelty and full of boring sentiments. The result is a big disappointment. Better luck next time, Hari!