A couple of months ago while this movie was still in production I was wondering about the title, why "Angadi Theru"? why not "Kadai veedhi" which is the more common way of referring any shopping street be it the "Town hall" road of Madurai or the Orchard road of Singapore. Has Mr. Vasantha Balan tried to have a poetic title and stopped half way ? I feel that is what he has done with the movie as well. He has perfected the technical departments including production but not the story and screenplay.
The soul and concept of Angadi theru has the capability of becoming a Lagaan of Tamil, but nay, at one point of time you wonder if this just another tragic teenage love story. Yes, the movie has some scenes which leave you with a disturbed mind. But that’s all; overall the movie does not impact you with any resolve. Some questions that come to the mind of a keen observer
- WHAT exactly is the problem if a salesboy and saleswoman fall in love? Of course you would end up in trouble if you get caught for calling your supervisor "karungaali" in your love letter.
- How come Pandi tries to end his friend's romance to save his job and just 10 mins later he gives a "Savuri mudi" his crush Sophy.
- There are a just a couple of instances where the salesperson is beaten up or manhandled in a private dark room, every other ill-treatment and violence is shown to be happening in the shop floor itself. Where were the customers?
- A few auto-drivers chase the couple to get the girl but why not in their AUTO ?? !!
- The employer ties the pair for romancing in the store and then gets the hero arrested on a false complaint. Hero gets squashed in the police station. He cries that he knows all the illegal ways in which the owner does business. The inspector promptly calls the owner and tells him "the boy knows too much, let us release him" Hero goes back to the shop, makes a big scene in front of the customers and gets the girl released who was tied up in the godown till then - realistic movie anybody ? Oh yeah, on his way back the hero promptly challenges the supervisor that he will survive in the same "Angadi Theru"
As mentioned there are a few cute and intelligent moments as well - I did enjoy the scale, strawberry, "savuri mudi" cues to romance and of course the sister act chasing the shopping bag. Also noteworthy are the quick sequences like the restroomwala, the shirt vendor etc. But if these supporting cast were given more screen space it would have been a complete picture.
The thing I don't like with capable Tamil directors like Bala, Selvaraghavan is that they believe they will be considered critically acclaimed and famous only if they make dark and heavy movies. Yet to see what Sasikumar and Ameer have in store. VB is no different, why make an Angadi Theru when you've done a Veyil as your first ?
Angadi Threu is much of Angadi and less of theru !
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