SETHUM AAYIRAM PON MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

In writer-director Anand Ravichandran’s Sethum Aayiram Pon, death is treated like a celebration. Human lives get a grand exit with make-up artists beautifying their corpses and even oppari singers being hired to sing paeans. The film uses the artistry behind death to tell a bittersweet story of broken relationships.

Set in the town of Aapanoor, Sethum… tells the story of Meera alias Kunjamma (a wonderful Nivedhithaa Sathish), a make-up artist who arrives at the village to meet her estranged grandmother Krishnaveni (Srilekha Rajendran), an oppari singer. As she gets used to the dated conditions they live in, Krishnaveni gets an opportunity to relive the past, which led to the strained relationship with her granddaughter.

The film reserves its “hero introduction” moment to Krishnaveni through a marvellously stretched sequence that captures upbeat villagers mourning the death of an artist. The camera shifts from percussionists to the crowds, as we see Krishnaveni badmouthing Kuberan (played by Jil Jung Juk fame Avinash Raghudevan), the make-up artist hired to beautify the face of the dead.

The sequence generates a lot of hilarious moments during the stretch, as Krishnaveni takes potshots at the ones she hates, including her granddaughter. But Meera’s palpable anger towards Krishnaveni and the village feels justified in a scene where Meera shockingly reveals that her grandmother tried to marry her off at the age of five. But despite this reveal, the narrative doesn’t demonise Krishnaveni, as we see many instances where she yearns for the love of Meera.

The narrative uses the alien-ness associated with Meera to generate a lot of interesting humour and conflicts. For instance, take the oddly comic scene where Meera covers up a corpse’s hickey that was caused by his mistress to fulfil the wish of his widow. The frame lingers at the villagers, who are surprised by Meera’s swanky box (as opposed to Kuberan’s old, antique one). The writing gives some nice touches to Meera’s characterization during the initial moments, where she lifts the spirit of a little girl who is teased for being dark.

But after the point where Krishnaveni and Meera solve their differences, the film becomes a bit disjointed and shows only a collection of moments. There are a few good ones, like the scene when Kuberan denies applying make-up to the corpse of his loved one, as he thinks she’s just “sleeping”.

But these glitches do not hinder the mood of this bittersweet drama that finds joy in the sadder parts of life. The writing gets the best out of the film’s cast. Despite her familiar presence, Srilekha Rajendran comes across as a revelation with her remarkable range, as she brilliantly channels the regrets, sassiness and the fun-loving nature of Krishnaveni.

Nivedhithaa Sathish gives an affecting performance, particularly during the scene where she breaks into an angry monologue on why she has no love for Krishnaveni. Avinash Raghudevan subtly underplays his part, whilst shouldering heavy-duty emotions with ease at key moments. Special mention goes to Gabrella Sellus, who plays Amudha, Meera's fiesty companion. Director Anand Ravichandran shows a good eye for irony as he manages to juxtapose the rural-urban divide through art in this languid drama.