Kollywood has almost every genre now, but what it lacked support in was sci-fi. We gape aghast at Hollywood marvels, and their mere ability to think of something scientific yet uniquely entertaining. Vi Anand has taken this opportunity to bring scientific fiction with masala to Kollywood, and thus launch himself too.
A humble small village near Coimbatore is closeted and backward on many issues. One such is their exposure to science and practicality thereof. Drowned in their personal conflicts, tiff between different groups - both headed by influential men, and a little bit of love story, Appuchi Gramam is a blissfully ignorant society. Meanwhile, scientists discover that a comet is to hit this village, affecting a big radius of area around. A warning is passed, followed by periodic efforts to get the villagers to take the truth, but they do not oblige to turn a ear until the day of meteor shower finally arrives. And that topples the lives of everyone.
The backbone of a sci-fi is the research of the concept behind the reason. We can see that Anand has done a fairly near job at that, although quite predictable. Next pillar is cinematography, and Prasad has done a good job, with no hitches. Most of the actors are new to the silver screen, except for a few seasoned actors. But Anand had been a good coordinator, bringing them all together in a new sort of movie, and the actors have also give in correctly. Music is another plus in the movie - except for a couple of deliberate attempts to include a track on screen, the film fares well on background score alone.
What works...
The concept is a plus - how often do you think of a meteor shower and the way it affects every day life. Absence of songs is another advantage to the fast entertainer. Sequencing has been done right throughout the movie. Most importantly, true human emotions when under fatal pressure have been brought out perfectly. Humour is also on an up-trend in the movie.
What could have worked better...
Though the concept is new, the screenplay is rather slow and highly predictable. Scenes involving ISRO, could have been taken better care of. Also, everyday life in the village has been constantly told and retold, which makes it seem as though the movie has deviated from its subject. Some scenes, especially in the climax, have acting that seems too dramatic. All these could have been fine tuned for the better, prior to the movie's release.
All said, 'Appuchi Gramam' looks like the first ep towards opening our eyes to scientific fiction. With a mind open to more masala than sidelined science and keen eyes to keep track of an example section of the entire village, you can encourage and laude Anand for his attempt.
Rating: 1.5/5
Verdict: Lot of drama and a little bit of science
