Playgrounds are not just for time pass. They are the breeding grounds of sports talents and also essential places of physical wellness of youngsters. Such spaces that are accessible to everyone are getting shrunk day by day. Many play grounds owned by the local bodies are either permanently taken over by the influential class or they are often rented out to conduct non-sports events.
Director Manimaran who made an impressive debut with ‘Udhayam NH4’ is back with a film that surrounds a play ground and the fight to save it from encroachers. The film titled as ‘Pugazh’ has released today and let’s see how it has come out.
Pugazh (Jai) is a young and bold public activist in Walajapet. His influence among the local people is so much that a candidate of his choice will be elected as the local councillor. He spends time with his friends chatting and playing cricket in a local playground which becomes the target of political encroachers. The son-in-law of the State Education Minister attempts to build a factory in the ground with the help of a local councillor Das (G.Marimuthu) who will do anything to reach bigger heights in his political career.
Anbu's party nominates Venkat, a friend of Pugazh as the councillor candidate for the latter’s ward and Venkat wins the election with the help of Pugazh's influence and Anbu's money power. Anbu also becomes the Chairman of the Local Municipality and tries to take over the ground with the help of Venkat but Pugazh wrecks havoc to their plans.
Now Anbu plans to kill Pugazh and his group of supporters that includes a local communist worker who would struggle on the foreground for the cause of the local people.
Does Pugazh manage to save the ground as well as his own life, is something you need to watch in theatres.
Tamil cinema over the years has seen a lot of films on the conflict between public activists and the corporate interests backed by corrupt politicians. But what makes Pugazh unique and different is its premise and setting. First of all the director should be appreciated for selecting Walajapet a town in North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu as the location. Secondly the place that is being encroached here is not someone’s house or the land given by government to the impoverished. It is a play ground and that exactly matches with a contemporary problem.
Manimaran has dwelled deep into local body politics, the way candidates are nominated, the way canvassing takes place and the elections are conducted in small towns. Watching these on the screen gives a rather unique and interesting experience.
Apart from these, ‘Pugazh’ has nothing new to offer as an action entertainer. Minus these aspects, ‘Pugazh’ could have ended up as yet another tale of a larger than life hero turned common man taking on a mighty politician and the corporate-political nexus. Under this tag, ‘Pugazh’ manages to keep us engaged and entertained to a large extent though there is nothing drastically different and there is no twist or turn. Having very less number of s
On the downside the film’s climax is a big letdown as it ends up to a hero vs villain fight after making us expect something else. With a running time of 126 minutes the film seems lengthy especially in the first half.
Performances are another big plus for the film. Jai with his boy-next-door image aptly fits the role and he is more than convincing in action scenes. He has also improved a lot on his dialogue delivery and makes the right impact when he utters some bold and punchy dialogues towards the big shots. Surabhi has nothing much to perform as the love sequences are subtle and underplayed in the film. Balaji manages to raise guffaws with his typical one-liners. G.Marimuthu as the corrupt local politician gets promoted as the main villain and proves to be an apt choice for a cunning politician.
Karunas as the elder brother of the hero gives yet another matured and solid performance. Especially he excels in the scene where he takes on the politician for the first time and then breaks down for his brother. The actor who comes as the elder communist activist has done a neat job.
Songs by Vivekh-Mervin duo are passable while the re-recording fits the bill. Cinematography by Velraj matches the setting and mood of the script.
Verdict: 'Pugazh' is a pretty decent action entertainer.
