Film: Annakodi
Starring: Karthika Nair, Lakshman Narayan, Manoj Bharathiraja
Director: Bharathiraja
Producer: Manoj Bharathiraja
Banner: Manoj Creations
Music: GV Prakash Kumar
Story
Annakodi and Kodiveeran, young residents
of two neighboring villages, fall in love with each other at first
sight. As much as they want to be together, life has something else for
them in store and so do the evil village head and his son Sadaiyan, who
want to separate them. What is the fate of these hapless lovers? This
forms the rest of the story.
Performances
Karthika, daughter of
Bharathiraja’s protégé Radha, impresses in his role sans make up and
glamour, while the male protagonist Lakshman is equally fitting but
turns little cumbersome in the most emotional scenes of the film.
Manoj Bharathi in a
role with shades of grey is brilliant. One needs guts to shed his hero
image and take up such roles. He deserves two thumbs up for the role
that unfortunately doesn’t shoulder the fate of the film.
Analysis
Veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja wields
the megaphone after five years. One of the highly respected directors in
the industry, he is known for his long association with films set
against the village backdrop. Over the years, he has explored some bold
and funny themes, mostly village based. "Annakodi" happens to be another
village love story from the veteran’s factory that takes us to a bygone
era to tell us a story we have known for years.
It’s not because we are bored of village
flicks, but rarely does “Annakodi” keeps the audiences engaged and
that’s why it miserably fails. From a village’s point of view, the film
might work for a few but it has nothing to offer to the city bred,
Bollywood and Hollywood exposed cinephiles.
It treads a path most village flicks
have done in the past. That people in villages are still doomed by caste
and creed, and love is something they don’t see with a fresh pair of
eyes. We can’t disagree but neither can we appreciate it because we have
been fed similar stories for decades now.
The film and its characters bear lot of
resemblance to the director’s own debut classic “16 Vayathinile”, which
featured Sridevi, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. Bharathiraja seems to
have tweaked the story with fresh faces and some soulful music, hoping
audiences would embrace it. Unfortunately, the effort backfires and
questions the credibility of the director, who has given numerous
blockbusters such as “Muthal Mariyathai” and “Kizhakku Cheemayile”.
There is no closure given to the love
that was kindled in first half. It gets lost amidst elements such as
violence, tragedy and sentiment that engulf the second half, forcing
audiences to search for love and romance in the process.
Even though the film progresses at
decent pace, it fails to connect with the audience on an emotional
level. The story lacks depth and passion needed for narrating an
emotionally compelling story.
Bharathiraja chooses to narrate the
story in flashback, from the point of view of one of his characters. It
makes an instant connection with the viewers, but doesn’t last long to
leave an impact. You need to force yourself to sit through the film, let
alone hope to be entertained.
Final Verdict
Bharathiraja takes back in time but doesn’t quite make us feel the soul of his village pot-boiler.