I hadn’t planned on watching this movie this weekend. I was thinking of ‘It Ends with Us,’ but my friend, who already read it, advised against it because the characters didn’t meet their expectations. It’s been a long time since I read any fiction, but maybe I should give it a try again.
Back to the movie, I expected one thing but got something else when I came of this movie. Before I review it for my general audience who don’t speak Tamil, let me give you a heads-up. As we know, India is diverse in culture and languages. I won’t get into politics, but there’s an issue, or what I believed it to be, where Hindi, being one of the Indian languages, has been imposed on others to learn. There’s a common phrase often used as a joke to show someone when they are questioned in Hindi: ‘Ek gaon mein ek kisan Raghu Thatha..
In the movie, they used ‘Raghu Thatha’ as the title. It is Tamil movie directed by Suman Kumar. The story centers around a female protagonist named Kayalvizhi Pandian, a banker at a nationalized bank. She also writes inspiring short stories under the male name “Ka Pa” and because she believes people won’t read stories written by women. From what I saw, the story seems to be set in the 1970s, but I might have missed that detail. Kayalvizhi is an activist against the imposed learning of Hindi in Valluvanpettai but is open to it as a language if there is a need. She’s also against cultural rules that limit women (patriarchy). She speaks out against forced marriages, wearing traditional clothing at home, and how women lose their dreams after marriage.
But things change when her supportive grandfather is diagnosed with stomach cancer. She’s emotionally pressured into agreeing to the marriage because it’s one of his wishes. Tamil Selvan, an engineer working for the government on village electrification, meets Kayal on her way to work. He impresses her by reading books and appearing progressive. Due to family pressure and the limited choices offered to her, she sees him as the better companion, believing that he would understand her choices and principles.
As the story progresses, Kayal is initially charmed by Tamil Selvan’s actions but later discovers that he’s a misogynistic manipulator out to take revenge on her once the wedding gets over. This reminds me of a scene from the movie Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, where the female lead falls in love with a professor who seems progressive but isn’t. Back to the movie, Kayal finds a way out of the marriage by passing her promotion exam (in Hindi), allowing her to move to Calcutta and continue her writing. She also does other mischievous things to escape this marriage.
Here are my thoughts. Kayal was the stole the show. Throughout the movie, there was a constant push for Kayal to be a role model for many young people, which she had to maintain as it could influence them. The movie’s explanation and comparison of Hindi and its impact on patriarchy were well done, but it didn’t leave a lasting impact because of the mix of mild humor and seriousness. I am sure how far will it reach the audience.
The movie showed how Kayal was losing her principles to escape the marriage but struggled to explain the situation to her grandfather. It was surprising that her progressive grandfather didn’t notice Tamil Selvan’s misogynistic behavior and was willing to sacrifice principles for the marriage. The supporting roles, like Alamelu, the bank manager, and Suneel, were well done. Especially, Kayal’s sister-in-law stands out, even though she was in just a few scenes. She kept suggesting using a lorry driver to solve problems by killing people (LOL). There was one really nice scene where Tamil Selvan’s mom stood up against the marriage and helped Kayal get away. Maybe, the role of Rangu could have been stronger.
I expected Kayal to end up in Calcutta as she wanted to be a writer, but the movie ended showing her at the same bus stop in the same town. The songs were good. The movie had a strong message, but I’m not sure if people will have the patience to sit through it. It might have been better if they focused on either a serious tone or full comedy. Give it try as it running across the theatre.
Cheers
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