After delivering a critically acclaimed Arohanam, the director has again struck gold with this multi- starrer
What’s it about
Directed by Lakshmy Ramakrishnan, the move title literally means ‘Come close, don’t kiss’, a message you’ll find on many lorries (trucks) across Tamil Nadu. The petrol and diesel price hike affects everyone in India and this film focuses on this and bunk owners start hoarding fuel but there’s a twist. There are three stories which Lakshmy narrates and she has interwoven them – Pichai and Maha (Shruthi Hariharan) who fall in love and are on the run because they are from different castes; Maaya (Pia Bajpai) who’s raised by her mother (Viji Chandrasekhar) and finds out that she was born as a result of her mother being gang-raped; Chandru (Shabeer) who comes from a wealthy family but drives trucks for a living. How they all meet and how their lives are connected unfolds through the course of the film. It is Shabeer and his lorry that take us through this journey.
What’s good
As a director, Lakshmy Ramakrishnan has done a good job of coming up with a movie based on an issue that affects all of us – fuel shortage. Lakshmy has shown pertinent things in a very casual manner which leave an impression – Maha giving her slipper to Pichai’s dad to fix to denote his community; black tea in the tea stalls as there’s no milk due to the petrol crisis; Maaya’s mother’s stoic silence despite the daughter constantly asking who her father is. The women’s roles in the films have been very well etched perhaps because Lakshmy can empathise with them as a woman. The relationship between Maaya and her mom is high-strung and emotional and is one of the highlights of the film. Other social issues Lakshmy showcases in this film are inter-caste relationships, corrupt politicians, and shaky relationships within the family.
The casting for the most part is good and all the members suit their role. Shabeer and Pia Bajpai have played their roles really well as has Viji Chandrashekhar.
What’s bad
There are too many characters in the film some of whom hardly have any necessity or impact on the film. The film – especially the first half– could have been made much tighter and edited better as well. Thambi Ramaiah is a good actor but he seems to have been wasted in most of the first half providing very few laughs. We wonder if comedy was required at all in this road movie which seems to be border on the thriller genre.
What to do?
While there may be a few flaws, the movie for the most part is entertaining. Lakshmy Ramakrishnan has proved that she’s an intelligent director who can deliver across any genre successfully. And her cast delivers for her!
Reviewed by Latha Srinivasan
* Poor
** Average
*** Good
**** Very good
***** Excellent
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