ANEL MELEY PANI THULI (2022)

Critic No. 298

Director: R. Kaiser Anand

Written by: R. Kaiser Anand

Produced by: Grass Root Film Company

Casts: Andrea Jeremiah, Aadhav Kannadasan, Azhagam Perumal

Music: Santosh Narayanan

Language: Tamil

Genre: Drama


SYNOPSIS: 

Mathi (Andrea), who works in a sports outlet, becomes the victim of a horrendous crime committed by men in authority. Can she punish the real criminals despite all odds?


REVIEW:

As fast as the main inciting incident is introduced, the grittiness and raw portrayal of the sexual violence grab our attention instantly and keep us on the edge of our seats as Kaiser Anand thrillingly unveils the mystery of his disturbing tale of sexual violence. As the film runtime ticks on, our heart races as we witness the injustice that happens to the rape survivor, and as soon as we know the culprit, our anger on this corrupted Indian society kicks in. 


I also liked how Kaiser not only focuses on the mystery behind the rape incident but also waves in an interesting subplot with her future in-laws talking about how others in the society can blame the rape victim and stain their names as if they are the ones to be blamed. Kaiser effectively shows that even the women in the society are in tune with the patriarchal society and all ready to point fingers at the women when something sexually happens to them. 


While this theme of toxicity is brilliant, Kaiser slips into a melodramatic second half that wanders around after a while and ends like almost a docu-drama with lengthy monologues. Somehow, after a strong build-up of the audience’s anger towards the antagonist, the climax feels weirdly unrewarding. It could have been another Jai Bhim (2021) or Visaranai (2015) but unfortunately cuts its potential short. 


Andrea is perfect in her physically demanding role as Mathi and Aadhav Kannadasan is a complete surprise package essaying his role maturely. Whereas veteran actor Ilavarasu looks out of place and uncomfortable most of the time; clearly a miscast. The real winner in terms of performance for me is Azhagam Perumal who really buys all the curses from the audience with his menacing role (spoiler alert). Santosh Narayanan’s inspiring score elevates the important notes well. 



VERDICT:

Though the film slips into preachy territory towards the end, ‘Anel Meley Panithuli’ does shock you with the disturbing sexual violence and its bold commentary on the thoroughly unmotivated, corrupted police officers in India.


CELLULOID METER- 3.25/5:




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