In Adaikalam, the story is about a father who has to endure the mortification of being away from his children and eventually being an object of their ire.
Adaikalam, directed by Bhuvanaraja, is one tale of human emotions that is at once warm and acceptable. It is the story of a father who ends up as the villain in the eyes of his children for no fault of his. As any story of human bonding, this one too is high on sentiments and with a very dignified show from Prashanth, the film offers a change from your regular four fights-five songs-small story routine. In fact, Prashanth the actor, has got his due after a long time. As a brother and a bitter son, he has churned out what is arguably one of his better performances till date.
The story is simple and it revolves around Anbu (Prashanth) and Thamizh (Uma). The two are siblings and dote on each other. They live under the care of their uncle Somasundaram (Radha Ravi). Why? Well, their parents (Thiyagarajan and Saranya) had a bitter separation. Nobody knows why this happened but the father is seen as the villain of the piece and when he comes back after several years, no one is ready to accept him. But he has a tale to tell about why he separated.
What is it and then what happens? The answers are found convincingly in the emotional gut-wrench that the film becomes in the end.
It is Prashanth all the way. Be it the son who is uncomfortable with his dad or the loving brother, he never misses a trick. His histrionic talent gets a good fodder.
Uma as his sister is simply superb. The young woman pulls out a gritty show that is warm and believable. The surprise is however Thiyagarajan, as a hapless father. He gets his limited expressions right. Saranya is now the mother of the season. The role is an extension of hers from films like Em Magan and Thavamai Thavamirundhu. Radha Ravi, as ever, is Mr. Dependable.
The music of Sabesh Murali also deserves mention. The songs are pleasant and carry an attractive lilt.
Director Bhuvanaraja can be appreciated for the fact that he has not taken recourse to the many short ways. He has stuck to the simple path and delivered a good cinema.
It maybe slow in places, but it doesn't pull a fast one on you. That's where Adaikalam is different.
