Raj Kumar
When a pickpocket turned cop meets another newbie with partial hearing deficiency, they make an oath to establish justice in an otherwise village of misfits. But things go south and results in a murder with a "twist" (Watch the movie to know why I've highlighted the twist). Dark comedy (Naduvula konjam pakkatha kanom, Soodhu kavvum) is slowly turning into a fever among Tamil audience and the débutant (Director Subbu) has made an attempt to test its depths. The director has crafted the characters with great pains and there is a tinge of sarcasm in each of it (an illiterate education minister, cops with pot belly, superior mishandling juniors, the comic book etc). At 105 minutes, "Sutta Padam" could be one of the shortest films in Tamil Cinema, but the plot seems to be artificially stretched. Little pace to the screenplay would have been very helpful. Strong performances have been the heart and soul of this flick but one must have their ears sharpened to grasp the one liners. The lead actress, (sister of Daniel Balaji, villain of Vettaiyadu Vilayadu) has proved her mettle. Casting deserves Kudos but the Background score, which has the unique ability to lift the spirit of both the characters and the audiences, fails miserably in this film. And that's why it becomes suffocating at one point. One might enjoy the second half provided the patience to sit through the first half. PS: A short film stretched for the sake of making a feature film.
