Hero :Vimal
Heroine :Nandita
Director :Thangam Saravanan
Music :Gopi Sundar
Cinematography :Ravi Kannan
Set in a village backdrop, 'Anjala' is the story of a middle-aged man (Pasupathy) whose age-old tea shop named 'Anjala' , built in absolutely arid land, is in danger. Vemal, who appears as a loyal employee to Pasupathy, joins his struggle to save the tea shop from demolition, as the highway department has ordered to take down the shop due to the widening of roads.
Followed by this, Pasupathy also faces few other problems that ring a death bell for the shop. The film also has an important sub-plot, which is the romance between Vemal and a college student played by Nandita. On the whole, the movie is a summary on how the characters manage to save their legacy. What happens in the end is something that is to be watched on the big screen.
Directed by Thangam Saravanan, 'Anjala' primarily raises questions on welcoming development and modernization at the cost of cultural symbols. The first half of the movie is well-written and neatly shot, and portrays the bonding of the villagers with the tea shop. The flashback portions of the film deserve a special mention. Though the emotional drama has worked out well in the film, nothing lasts long. The concept of the story is interesting, but the film's not-so-impressive script and treatment makes it barely pleasing.
While talking about the performances, as usual Vemal pulls off his tailor-made character with ease. The actor has nothing new to offer. Nandita Swetha who appears as his love interest has done her part well. 'Anjala' manages to engage the audience only because of Pasupathy’s dignified performance.
One of the main highlights of the film is the realistic portrayal of characters. Be it the character of 'Aadukalam' Murugadoss or the old man who volunteers to support the tea shop, the characters bring in realistic performances. Murugadoss, who appears for the first time without a beard, is interesting. Performances of the supporting cast Subbu Panchu, Rithvika and few others are also impressive.
Despite the presence of a good number of comedy artists such as Imman Annachi and Aadukalam Murugadoss, the film falls flat in making us laugh. Also, the scenes which are meant to evoke laughter end up being distasteful. At many points, the film gets melodramatic, which could have been avoided. Though the run time of the film is below two hours, 'Anjala' makes us feel the length. Ravi Kannan’s camera work and the editing of Praveen K.L have made the film interesting, especially in the flashback portions. Songs composed by Gopi Sunder are average, the wrong placement of which hampers the pace of the film.
In short ‘Anjala’ is a decent family entertainer!
Heroine :Nandita
Director :Thangam Saravanan
Music :Gopi Sundar
Cinematography :Ravi Kannan
Set in a village backdrop, 'Anjala' is the story of a middle-aged man (Pasupathy) whose age-old tea shop named 'Anjala' , built in absolutely arid land, is in danger. Vemal, who appears as a loyal employee to Pasupathy, joins his struggle to save the tea shop from demolition, as the highway department has ordered to take down the shop due to the widening of roads.
Followed by this, Pasupathy also faces few other problems that ring a death bell for the shop. The film also has an important sub-plot, which is the romance between Vemal and a college student played by Nandita. On the whole, the movie is a summary on how the characters manage to save their legacy. What happens in the end is something that is to be watched on the big screen.
Directed by Thangam Saravanan, 'Anjala' primarily raises questions on welcoming development and modernization at the cost of cultural symbols. The first half of the movie is well-written and neatly shot, and portrays the bonding of the villagers with the tea shop. The flashback portions of the film deserve a special mention. Though the emotional drama has worked out well in the film, nothing lasts long. The concept of the story is interesting, but the film's not-so-impressive script and treatment makes it barely pleasing.
While talking about the performances, as usual Vemal pulls off his tailor-made character with ease. The actor has nothing new to offer. Nandita Swetha who appears as his love interest has done her part well. 'Anjala' manages to engage the audience only because of Pasupathy’s dignified performance.
One of the main highlights of the film is the realistic portrayal of characters. Be it the character of 'Aadukalam' Murugadoss or the old man who volunteers to support the tea shop, the characters bring in realistic performances. Murugadoss, who appears for the first time without a beard, is interesting. Performances of the supporting cast Subbu Panchu, Rithvika and few others are also impressive.
Despite the presence of a good number of comedy artists such as Imman Annachi and Aadukalam Murugadoss, the film falls flat in making us laugh. Also, the scenes which are meant to evoke laughter end up being distasteful. At many points, the film gets melodramatic, which could have been avoided. Though the run time of the film is below two hours, 'Anjala' makes us feel the length. Ravi Kannan’s camera work and the editing of Praveen K.L have made the film interesting, especially in the flashback portions. Songs composed by Gopi Sunder are average, the wrong placement of which hampers the pace of the film.
In short ‘Anjala’ is a decent family entertainer!
