Incredibly hackneyed -- Adaavadi
Adaavadi.
Adaavadi
Genre: Romance
Director: Bharat Hanna
Cast: Sathyaraj, Radha, Suja, Parvesh, Y.G. Mahendra, Afzal
Storyline: A confirmed misogynist makes amess of his life when he falls in love and cannot deal with rejection.
Bottomline: Outmoded plot and treatment.
Once in a while there comes a film with a plot so hackneyed that it defies description. Sree Saravana Film Arts' release `Adaavadi' is one such. With a storyline that might have survived in the 1970s (even that is debatable) the director (also responsible for the screenplay and dialogue) comes up with a dated plot that desperately tries to be `with it' by making Sathyaraj don a ghastly streaked wig and a teenager's wardrobe. Sadly, it doesn't work.
Bharat (Satyaraj) is a fearless director who specialises in making films that are social and political exposes. He is also a misogynist who falls hard for a persistent heroine, Chandini (Radha) in a drastic turnaround.
Bounces back
Now, it is her turn to reject him, on the grounds that fame and money matter the most. The hero hits the bottle, his film is stalled mid-way and his family suffers. Enters a woman producer, a foreign national who insists that he complete the film. A series of incidents alerts him to Chandini's betrayal and he bounces back with a vengeance. But in the bizarre climax, he learns that he was mistaken all along and that Chandini was a victim of circumstances.
What can you say about a screenplay that defies logic and a script that meanders without rhyme or reason and also launches a sustained assault on the Queen's English via atrocious, grammar-bending one-liners delivered in a fake accent? Then, what's with women being slapped and pushed around like rag dolls and the hero embracing a work ethic that calls for hitting and kicking the crew at every pretext? You wonder in which era the story was formulated.
You wish Sathyaraj would take up age-appropriate, sensible roles, as the actor tries to make sense of the proceedings, gives up and resorts to ranting and hamming his way through the film. Radha scores with her mobile face and expressive eyes, but can do only so much with the repetitive dialogue.
Ganja Karuppu tries hard to make the comedy track work, but how can he compete with a narrative in which the serious moments unintentionally turn out to be the funniest? Deva's music is passable, with one melodious number `En anbe' sung by Karthik and Minmini.
KLT
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
