After
dishing
out
meaningful
movies
like
Iyarkai,
E
and
Peranmai,
director
SP
Jananathan
is
back
with
Purampokku
Engira
Podhuvudamai.
Does
the
movie
live
up
to
its
reputation?
Does
it
carry
a
social
message
for
which
its
director
is
known
for?
Read
our
review
to
know.
Purampokku
Plot:
Arya
is
an
activist
who
believes
in
principles
of
communism.
What
happens
when
you
pull
out
all
the
stops
to
bring
about
a
positive
change
in
our
society?
You
fall
prey
to
the
wrong
side
of
justice.
That's
exactly
what
happens
to
Arya,
who
gets
a
death
penalty
for
alleged
illegal
undertakings
against
the
country.
While
Vijay
Sethupathi
plays
the
executioner(hangman),
Shaam
plays
a
police
officer,
who
handles
the
case.
Karthika
Nair,
who
is
a
close
associate
to
Arya,
tries
her
best
to
avoid
him
being
hanged.
How
does
she
do
it?
Does
she
succeed?
How
is
Vijay
Sethupathi
connected
to
the
entire
saga?
These
questions
are
answered
in
a
compelling
manner
throughout
the
film.
Performances:
One
of
the
film's
main
strength
is
its
performances
by
the
lead
cast
that
includes
Karthika
Nair
which
is
refreshing
to
see
in
a
Tamil
cinema.
All
four(Arya,
Vijay,
Shaam
and
Karthika)
excel
in
their
respective
roles,
thereby,
doing
complete
justice
to
SP
Jananathan's
wonderful
characters.
Though
the
movie
mainly
revolves
around
its
four
central
characters,
the
supporting
cast
too
chips
in
with
convincing
acts
wherever
required.
Technicalities:
Art
Director
Selva
Kumar
N
scores
big
in
this
movie
as
all
his
sets
are
unbelievably
real
especially
the
prison
set
which
is
the
heart
of
this
movie.
Cinematographer
NK
Ekambaram
has
done
a
fantastic
job
as
well.
The
last
one
hour
gets
as
racy
as
it
can
get
and
the
cameraman
has
stood
up
to
the
challenge
by
capturing
the
beautiful
snow
filled
place
which
is
a
gift
to
the
audience.
Relatively
slow
paced
first
half
is
one
of
the
low
points
of
the
movie,
the
other
is
its
songs;
not
that
the
songs
are
unbearable,
but
they
actually
seem
out
of
place
in
the
entire
plot.
When
will
our
directors
get
the
courage
to
leave
out
songs
if
they
are
not
required
is
a
sad
question
that
remains
to
be
answered.
Background
score
is
gripping
and
adds
substance.
With
2
hours
and
40
minutes
of
run
time,
the
film
is
mostly
riveting.
On
the
flip
side,
it
could've
been
an
out
and
out
edge
of
the
seat
thriller
sans
songs
and
a
couple
of
slashed
scenes.
Overall
View:
Purampokku
Engira
Podhuvudamai
is
definitely
yet
another
good
film
by
SP
Jananathan.
It
has
a
subtle
message
and
will
keep
you
hooked
throughout.
Check
out
the
slides
below
for
some
of
the
best
scenes
and
a
few
interesting
trivia
about
the
movie:
The
movie
is
jointly
produced
by
UTV
Motion
Pictures
and
S.
P.
Jananathan's
production
house
Binary
Pictures.
The
film
was
earlier
titled
'Purampokku',
a
term
used
for
a
piece
of
land
that
is
common
to
all,
like
a
lake
or
a
graveyard.
Karthika
Nair
The
'Hero'
Posters
released
from
the
production
unit
revealed
Arya
with
a
resemblance
of
Bhagat
Singh.
Karthika
Nair
was
signed
to
play
the
lead
female
role,
as
she
could
speak
Tamil
fluently
and
had
to
share
screen
space
with
two
tall
heroes.
Arya
And
Karthika
Principal
photography
of
the
film
started
on
11
January
2014
in
Kulu
Manali.
The
film
was
shot
extensively
around
Himachal
Pradesh,
Rajasthan
and
Chennai.
Karthika
The
Stunt-Woman
It
was
said
that
Karthika's
role
would
be
an
action-packed
one
where
she
would
perform
her
stunt
sequences
herself.
Jananathan
stated
that
though
there
are
two
heroes
in
the
film,
there
will
be
just
one
heroine.
Shaam
The
Upright
Cop
Shaam,
who
earlier
appeared
in
director's
debut
film
Iyarkai
(2003),
was
selected
to
play
the
role
of
police
officer.
A
promotional
photo-shoot
with
Arya,
Vijay
Sethupathy
and
Shaam
was
held
in
December
2013.
One
Of
The
Best
Scene
When
filming
an
emotional
scene
involving
Shaam
and
Vijay
Sethupathi,
Jananathan
shot
the
scene
in
a
unique
way
such
that,
he
allowed
the
actors
to
enact
the
entire
sequence
at
one
stretch.
Vijay
The
Performer
The
shooting
was
postponed
for
a
while
in
June
2014
as
the
lead
actors
went
to
complete
their
other
projects.
The
lead
actors
also
had
to
learn
to
ride
a
camel
for
a
few
scenes
in
the
film
shot
in
Jaisalmer.
Vijay
Sethupathi
With
Karthika
Arya
had
to
perform
a
risky
stunt
of
running
on
top
of
a
moving
train
in
an
important
sequence
in
the
film.
A
huge
prison
set
was
erected
in
Chennai
where
an
extensive
45
day
production
schedule
was
shot
with
the
lead
actors.
The
Direct
Face-Off
In
August
2013,
cinematographer
Natraj
Subramaniam
claimed
that
he
had
already
registered
the
title
'Purampokku',
claiming
that
he
did
not
give
anyone
permission
to
use
the
title,
he
also
reportedly
threatened
to
take
legal
action
against
anyone
who
did
so.
On
The
Way
To
Face
Death
The
film
was
later
retitled
Purampokku
Engira
Podhuvudamai,
with
the
director
saying,
"the
word
'Purampokku'
has
become
abusive
today,
the
title
was
needed
to
stress
upon
the
forgotten
fact
that
everything
is
common
for
all".