Since its a Bala - Ilayaraja movie, I definitely had expectations from this one. The plight which a Karagam Troupe undergoes is the crux of the movie. How the dying art is being disrespected and how the people crave for masala topped art are the themes which go along with it. The movie is not for everyone because of its very raw, rustic and brutal treatment. The performances in the movie are very strong. Varalaxmi has definitely made a name for herself with her dance and performance. Sasikumar, G M Kumar provide for a solid supporting cast. The Choreography in the movie is outstanding and the hard work that has gone into it is very visible and the camera angles capturing the Karagam are also noteworthy. The brutal climax stunt portions are executed brilliantly. The music in the film is definitely it's biggest strength. The BGM and the songs narrate more story and underline more emotions than the screenplay. The score in the film is of the highest calibre and Ilayaraja's mastery is on display. Paararuvaaya, Idarinum and the Theme will remain classics.
The narrative part of the film i.e screenplay is where the movie has problems. The character set up and development look very rushed and thereby the connection with the characters was not happening. Atleast for me. I was never totally engrossed. Certain plot movements happened suddenly and sometimes abruptly. Mind you, the film does have its moments. I felt they didn't gel together as a cohesive screenplay. Its either below average screenplay writing or film has been trimmed in a bits and pieces manner. I feel it is the latter. For the sake of bringing the running time to around 2 hours, i think a lot has been lost to the scissors. In that case, the makers should release a full/untrimmed version of the film lying somewhere in Director Bala's office to justify the wonderful music. Having said all that, rarely do we get such dark and emotional films with powerful characters which talk about a dying art (barring the last 25 mins). A very emotional & important core which didn't transform well to the big screen.
