Ore Kadal - Review

By Super Admin

By: Settu Shankar
Friday, August 31, 2007

Ore Kadal is a film based on Bengali novel Heerak Deepti, a classic love story written by Sunil Gangopadhyay (It is said that Oscar winner late Satyajit Ray had once planned to make a film on the same novel). Director Shyamaprasad has skilfully carved the Malayalam version while retaining the essence of the original, and has succeeded in keeping the viewers engrossed for the entire two and half hour's duration, even though it is an art film!

The film broadly talks about marriage and human relationships, which has been made interesting in the back drop of the Chennai metro. The excellent performance of legendary Mammootty and flawless acting skills of Meera Jasmine make the film worthy of being watched.

Deepti (Meera Jasmine) is a helpless housewife in Chennai city, tending to her sick son in the absence of her unemployed husband. Dr. Nathan (Mammootty) is a renowned social Economist who overhears her frantic pleas for help to her husband over a public telephone. The research scholar, who happens to be interested in finding a solution for unemployment among middle class youngsters, decides to help Deepti and her son, and takes the child to a hospital.

Though Nathan is a good hearted person, he is an alcoholic, who does not believe in emotional or sentimental attachments. He has had a long standing relationship with a 'sophisticated' call girl Bella (Ramya Krishnan). He is habituated to saying that the society is ruled by economics, not emotions!

Nathan helps Deepti not because he is attracted towards her, but because her husband and her child make an interesting subject. Slowly, he starts feeling the need for her. Nathan likes to believe that it just a physical thing, but Deepti desires something more. Finally this affair culminates into a physical relationship. Soon, Deepti is pregnant and tells Nathan that it is his child. But Nathan feigns ignorance about the issue, which devastates the girl, and makes her to lose her mental balance.

The way the director has handled the film is very interesting. He is very clear about his class of viewers and has moulded the film as per their taste. At the same time, he has refrained from giving a high-brow, pseudo-intellectual treatment to the movie, which, just like modern art, would have left the common viewers groping in the dark. It is for sure that the climax will leave most of the viewers fretting and fuming, due to its unfinished nature. But there was no other way for the director to goad the story towards an end.

Mammootty, in the role of a brilliant economist Nathan, is simply superb. His mature performance drives the film like an invisible force. Meera Jasmine has played the challenging role assigned to her with ease and in a professional manner. Undoubtedly, she has given her best shot for this film. Narain's performance as the husband who never comes to know that his wife cheated on him, has been nicely executed, and the actor has done full justice to the role. Ramya Krishnan as Bella has done a cameo to everybody's satisfaction. Azhagappan's camerawork is the highlight of the movie. It is indeed a tough call to picturise intimate relationships and their emotional conflicts through the lenses. But Azhagappan has simply done magic with his camera.

Overall, Shayamaprasad has made a memorable film, which will be remembered for years to come!

Verdict: Class!

By: Settu Shankar
Friday, August 31, 2007

Ore Kadal is a film based on Bengali novel Heerak Deepti, a classic love story written by Sunil Gangopadhyay (It is said that Oscar winner late Satyajit Ray had once planned to make a film on the same novel). Director Shyamaprasad has skilfully carved the Malayalam version while retaining the essence of the original, and has succeeded in keeping the viewers engrossed for the entire two and half hour's duration, even though it is an art film!

The film broadly talks about marriage and human relationships, which has been made interesting in the back drop of the Chennai metro. The excellent performance of legendary Mammootty and flawless acting skills of Meera Jasmine make the film worthy of being watched.

Deepti (Meera Jasmine) is a helpless housewife in Chennai city, tending to her sick son in the absence of her unemployed husband. Dr. Nathan (Mammootty) is a renowned social Economist who overhears her frantic pleas for help to her husband over a public telephone. The research scholar, who happens to be interested in finding a solution for unemployment among middle class youngsters, decides to help Deepti and her son, and takes the child to a hospital.

Though Nathan is a good hearted person, he is an alcoholic, who does not believe in emotional or sentimental attachments. He has had a long standing relationship with a 'sophisticated' call girl Bella (Ramya Krishnan). He is habituated to saying that the society is ruled by economics, not emotions!

Nathan helps Deepti not because he is attracted towards her, but because her husband and her child make an interesting subject. Slowly, he starts feeling the need for her. Nathan likes to believe that it just a physical thing, but Deepti desires something more. Finally this affair culminates into a physical relationship. Soon, Deepti is pregnant and tells Nathan that it is his child. But Nathan feigns ignorance about the issue, which devastates the girl, and makes her to lose her mental balance.

The way the director has handled the film is very interesting. He is very clear about his class of viewers and has moulded the film as per their taste. At the same time, he has refrained from giving a high-brow, pseudo-intellectual treatment to the movie, which, just like modern art, would have left the common viewers groping in the dark. It is for sure that the climax will leave most of the viewers fretting and fuming, due to its unfinished nature. But there was no other way for the director to goad the story towards an end.

Mammootty, in the role of a brilliant economist Nathan, is simply superb. His mature performance drives the film like an invisible force. Meera Jasmine has played the challenging role assigned to her with ease and in a professional manner. Undoubtedly, she has given her best shot for this film. Narain's performance as the husband who never comes to know that his wife cheated on him, has been nicely executed, and the actor has done full justice to the role. Ramya Krishnan as Bella has done a cameo to everybody's satisfaction. Azhagappan's camerawork is the highlight of the movie. It is indeed a tough call to picturise intimate relationships and their emotional conflicts through the lenses. But Azhagappan has simply done magic with his camera.

Overall, Shayamaprasad has made a memorable film, which will be remembered for years to come!

Verdict: Class!

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