Sethu

Movie Name: Sethu
Cast: Vikram , Abitha , Sivakumar , Sriman , Mohan Vaidya , Bharathi
Music: Ilaiyaraja
Direction: Bala
Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Sethu is movie that tamil cinema can be proud of producing. Bala has successfully fuseda light-hearted love story and a heart-wrenching story of a mental patient to come up witha quality product. It steers clears of all recent tamil cinema cliches. There isno vulgar comedy and there are no duets in foreign locales. Most of all, it is sensible and logical and does not insult the viewer's intelligence. It is a breath of fresh air which hopefully will lead to more such badly-needed quality movies.

I guess Sethu could be the tamil counterpart of the Hollywood concept of an 'independentfilm'. It has a first-time director, a cast of mostly fresh faces(atleast on the big screen), a small budget and a risky but refreshingly different storyline. The movie has been lying in the cans for almost two years, not finding a distributor for the above reasons. It has finally been released owing to the efforts of the director and is an unqualified success. Its success proves that commercial success does not necessarily have to be at the expense of quality.

Sethu(Vikram) is a college rowdy living with his brother(Sivakumar), sister-in-law(Bharathi)and their daughter. Starting off with a ragging session, Sethu slowly loses his heartto first yearite Abitha(Abitha), a traditional brahmin girl. But just when Abitha tooreciprocates his love, Sethu is attacked by a gang of goondas whose business he had affectedearlier. He loses his mind and after a doctor wrings his hands regarding the effect ofmedicine in such cases, Sethu is admitted to an ashram where, it is hoped, the more traditional means of treatment could have a therapeutic effect on him.

The movie starts off ordinarily. Though the contrasting nature of the hero's roughexterior and the heroine's soft-naturedness reminds one of Amarkkalam, the similarity ends there. Vikram developingfeelings for Abitha is extremely down-to-earth and believable. There are spurts of laughter too brought about by Sriman's comments. But the two group songs dotting this stage of the movie are unnecessary. They are neither catchy nor imaginatively picturised.Though primarily a love story, the movie has no duets. A melodious duet might have been abetter alternative to either (or both!) of these group songs.

The scenes between Vikram and Abitha(like their meetings in the library and the laboratory)are well-handled. And there is a small scene where Vikram rubs a peacock feather and Abithashivers in her sleep that is over in a flash but makes us understand that this is what poetryin movies is all about. The scene where Abitha finally succumbs to Vikram's love is the perfect pinnacle to their love story. The setting, the performances of both the performers, the script and characterisation combine to deliver a powerful punch. I cannot recall anothermovie where this matter has been handled in this manner or so well.

The shift in the tone of the movie - starting with Vikram getting attacked - startles us with its suddenness. This increases the impact of the scene and leaves us shaken. Thebrutality of the attack, the background music and the technique the director employs toshow Vikram's condition are masterful. The following scenes in the ashram move us. Raja's background score as the camera moves through the place, lingering on its chained patients,is haunting and Vikram's transformation elicits a gasp.

The climax is stunning. It is perfectly logical and yet hits us in the face with itsunexpectedness. Surprise endings are so rare in tamil movies because of their predictabilityand the unwillingness of the directors to take risks because of commercial considerations.Kudos to director Bala for succeeding in the difficult task of making the viewer sit up and then leave the theatre with the climax imprinted in his mind.

The casting director deserves a resounding pat on the back. The cast is comprised of mostly unknown faces but every single one of them is a perfect fit and does an excellentjob. Vikram(seen in marginal roles in movies like Ullaasam) gets the role of a lifetime and does full justice to it. Be it the rowdy, the lover with almost psychoticshades or the zombie-like mental patient, he is nothing short of amazing. One wonders howmuch more of such talent is lying undiscovered in tamil cinema. Abitha is perfect as thehomely, tradition-bound girl. Sivakumar is dignified while small-screen actors likeMohan Vaidya(Abitha's 'murai' maaman) and Bharathi rise to the occasion. Abitha's father isalso brilliant and dignified in the midst of all the problems he faces. The background scoreelevates the movie at several places.