{mosimage}Can cinematographers make good directors? After working with the top directors so closely and learning the craft, I think they get the itch to direct a movie someday. Going by the track record of cinematographers turned directors who had succesfully ventured into other domains, the answer seems to be YES. PC Sriram made slick action thriller "Kuruthipunal" and sensitive "Vaanam vasappadum". KV Anand continued with a gripping thriller "Kanaa Kandein" while Jeeva made an abstract "12B' and followed it up with "Ullam Ketkume..". Just now I watched "Ullam Ketkume..." and was cleanly bowled over by its narrative structure, not only stylish visuals but equally emotional vein too.
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A tidbit about sleeper hit "Ullam Ketkume.." The movie was launched as "PEPSI" (An acronym of lead characters Pooja, Emaan, Priya, Shaam, Irene) about two years ago, with then sensations "Shaam" and "Laila" along with newcomers "Arya", "Asin" and "Pooja". The movie snoozed in cans for more than two years, by the time it saw lights new comers Arya, Asin became stars while Shaam & Laila faded into pavilion. Nobody even dreamt that "Ullam ketkume..." will become a hit.{mosimage}
It is about 5 friends Pooja (Laila), Eman (Arya), Priya (Asin), Shaam (Shaam) & Irene (Pooja) who are meeting in the Emaan's wedding after a long time and mastigate their memories of college. It is all about the fond memoirs of friendship, romance and bitter days of adoloscent, disappointments, heart breaks etc. I clearly identified with every character and thats why I am touched by the incidents that unfolded on the screen. It is now 12:30 at night while I am writing this review. Then you decide for yourself how much it affected me.
Jeeva proves that more than a stylish cinematographer, he is also a good story teller. He manages to hold the attention since the opening shot Pooja leaving for her friend's wedding. Among all the stories I was touched by Laila's part, because I could identify the pains of being not loved by the one we love. We always search for the things not in our sight, losing the valuable thing next to us. Pooja loves Shaam and does everything he just wishes as her command. But Shaam couldn't understand her but falls in love with Priya (Asin). Even though he was forewarned that Priya is entirely opposite to what Shaam is, he simply reasons that opposite poles attracts.
Priya (Asin) is from a middle class Brahmin family, who believes in traditional values. She rightly says that love might be the matter of two individuals, when it comes to marriage it becomes an affair between two families. So she begs off Shaams proposal and settles for the arranged marriage with a doctor.
{mosimage}The love story of Emaan & Irene is mature & having a depth. Emaan is an aspiring cricketere whose first priority happens to be the love of Irene. She realises this and decides to move away from him leaving a way to his career. Irene's character is something I loved and could understand a most at this juncture of my life. I had reacted the very similiar way Irene did. SHe loves him but for sake of his good she moves away. In the Emaan's marriage Pooja asks whether she is upset, for which Irene replies that if she had accepted his proposal doubt is that whether he could have become a star sportsman. So she has no regrets.
At the end Pooja gathers guts to propose Shaam and suceeds, with a routine climax in the airport.
You cannot classify this movie as single person's movie. Everybody carries the movie in their shoulders. There was a tremendous innocence in the new comers that breathed a fresh lease of life into the characters. I think this is the reason of this movies success. At the end it is Laila, Arya and Pooja who scores over others.
