First thing that has to be said - Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai has no hero or to put it in a better way, the story is the hero of this film. Penned by renowned Tamil writer Bhaskar Shakti, this movie is directed by Suseenthiran who charmed us with his earlier ventures Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu and Naan Magaan Alla. Produced by Escape artists and distributed by Cloud Nine movies, the promos and the quirky image of actor Appukutty had us all curious.

Rural flicks have become a staple today and it no longer bears the cult status. But AK despite being set in a village is nothing like what we have seen before. It is a movie that has its story built around characters, superstitions and faith in God.

Mallayapuram is a village where a ‘thiruvizha’ happens every year to bring rains to the dry village. The most important necessity for this function is a wooden horse on which the deity is placed and taken for a parade. All of a sudden the wooden horse gets stolen. At the same time, Azhagarsami (Appukutty) loses his horse, his only means of livelihood and is frantically searching for it and comes to Mallayapuram. What happens next? Do they get their respective horses back? These questions are answered in this movie.

This movie, like every other rural flick, has several characters and the regular ones at that- loud mouthed women, respectable men, serious yet sarcastic cops, young couple in love and many more. But the things that make them different are their characterization and the way they are associated with the story. They are not unwanted or stereotyped but are given a delightful and bold make over by the writer. Best example for this would be a woman who beats up her husband for cheating on her by sneaking away with another woman barring the usual rural tales where we have women sitting in the corner crying and willing to take back her despicable husband.

There is an undercurrent of situational humour running throughout the movie that is intelligent and heartwarming. There are several scenes that stand out for this factor and the director also takes a dig at certain atrocities in a remarkable manner. When the village headmen go around door to door collecting tax, they walk up to a house where a young boy is reading his English book and the moment they enter, he recites the Kattabomman dialogue, “Nee enathu maamana allathu machaana… Naan etharku unaku vari kudukka vendum” and acts as if he is reading it from the book. Subtle and situational, it embarrasses the village heads and has us in splits. Another instance is when an old lady feigns deafness in order to avoid paying the money. AK is replete with such lovely moments.

On the performance side, all the characters are memorable and have performed well but it is Appukutty who walks away with top honours. He is adorable as the curly haired plump man who is in despair and is desperately searching for his runaway horse. Prabhakaran who plays the character of a young man Ramakrishnan has delivered a noteworthy performance. His lover Devi played by Advaitha looks every bit a village belle and shines in almost all the scenes.

Saranya Mohan plays Azhagarsami’s fiancée Rani and does the needful. Her role is more of a cameo. Though she tries hard to look like a villager, wearing mismatched old sarees and blouse, her sweet face and neatly threaded eye brows don’t convince us of her being a village girl and that is a bit of a dampener. Her romantic track with Azhagarsami is pleasing and sweet.

The director has totally shunned the superstitions that villagers believe in this film. In one scene where the village head, after hearing the news that his son has married against his wishes, screams that it is never going to rain in the village for his son has committed a crime by marrying a girl not belonging to their caste and it starts raining the very next moment. Here, the director creatively and symbolically conveys that superstitions are never true and that it should get washed away in the rain that very moment.

Music by Illayaraja fits perfectly with the movie’s plot and none of the songs are forced in. ‘Poovakkelu’ sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Karthik is a radiant melody but it is ‘Kuthikira Kuthikira’ that gives us the goosebumps. Cinematography by Theni Easwar is an added advantage and the beauty of the village is brought out to the fullest.

The director must be praised for having his heart at the right place and making the movie entirely realistic. AK is supported by a strong story, stronger dialogues and great characters but it might fail to work with all kinds of audience. Some sequences, especially post-interval disengage and will work for audiences who have the patience. It is not your regular commercial cinema - racy with foreign locales and stunts nor is it a rural story filled with blood, gore and tragedy. It is a simple heartwarming and realistic film which has us smiling as we walk out of the theater. It is one of those movies where content is the king and deserves praises for just that.

Verdict: A charming and happy rural tale which is fairly engaging.