SM Fihad Ar-Rahman
The movie is really awesome, with awesome acting of the actors-actresses, sweet songs and musics, a heart-touching story, beautiful natural rural shooting spot and of course the best part- the heart-touching climax ever. I never expected the finishing of the movie will be like this. I love the character of Muthulagu and the love between Veeran and her. The dialogues and light comedies were enjoyable too. If you didn't watch it, don't wait. Just go, enjoy.
Rahul Yadav
If you watch a movie in a language which you don't understand a word of and the movie does not let you realize this fact for whole of its length, that is a good enough reason to praise a movie.Parutheeveeran is a Tamil movie which I watched with subtitles and though I don't understand a word of Tamil other than "macha" or "Naan unnai Kathalikkireen", I can guess that the Tamil used in the movie is very original countryside old Tamil. And the characters spoke so fast that at times I had to pause and read what the they said, but it was all worth it.Story is very simple. Parutheeveeran is a country brash, loafer who spends his time doing petty crimes with him uncle and wants to become famous by going in Chennai jail. Muththazhagu loves him unconditionally because he saved her life when they were kid but her father is against it. Parutheeveeran ignores Muththazhagu and keeps her at distance. But when he realizes her love towards her the story takes an interesting turn and reaches to a climax which most of the viewers will not expect. Music is high point of the movie and is nowhere near to conventional music. The songs (some would doubt its existence in the movie) are used to create the mood for the what happens in the movie. The movie starts with a village festival and the collage of various folk style song snippets leave the aroma of rustic yet colorful and joyous village which lasts till we reach towards the climax of the movie.Acting is top notch, not only by main actors but also by all supporting characters. Most of them has been handpicked from the locality where the movies was shot, which makes them look very original. Very rightly Pramani got National Award for best actress for her portrayal of Muththazhagu in the movie. If you have any doubts, check out this scene.There is no set so to say, whole movie seems to be shot in real locations and they are mesmerizing. It makes you want to go to a village outside of Madurai and live there for a day or two just to admire their life. Direction is awesome but I guess the actors, cinematographer, editor etc have made the job of the director very easy.Now the climax. I feel climax is an art and as I have described in another article leaving the movie at right note is as important as garnishing the meal. The climax of the movie may sound disturbing and depressing to some, but I felt that movie could not have a better ending. The act by Parutheeveeran and the end not only justifies his eccentric character but also epitomizes his love for Muththazhagu in a very peculiar way which requires some pondering.
Niv_Savariego
Paruthiveeran is a great effort. With remarkable photography and great performances by the main actors. Karthik plays Paruthiveeran, a low-class orphan who is used to being a free personality, doing whatever he likes without any concern for custom or law. Priyamani plays Muthagalu, a stubborn, free minded, educated girl who is in love with him. They are, in fact, cross-cousins, and so, in a way (according to rural custom), should marry. But there was caste inter-marriage, and so, Paruthiveeran is considered unsuitable.Once Paruthiveeran falls in love with Muthagalu, everything changes. In a way, both have to sacrifice their freedom (and therefor themselves). This is a love that cannot be, but also cannot be stopped. It ends, perhaps appropriately, and very typical of Tamil folk stories and cinema (Kaadhal for example), in shocking tragedy.The story is original and compelling. Both characters are not generic, they surprise us with their decisions and choices. There is an inner tension between freedom and love (independence and belonging) and the tragic but inevitable way they conflict with each other. There are several great cinematic moments and inventions. The one in which Paruthiveeran, after tattooing his name next to his lover's on his chest, reaches for a peacock feather and caresses it, is memorable. The film tempers with some generic conventions - no makeup, no professional dancing and lip syncing. Some outside shots are taken from inside buildings, giving us a kind of 'peeping' feel. In one memorable shot, Muthagalu's father sits in a corner of his yard sadly watching as an entire day goes by.There are two 'spaces' in the film. The first - the open land, shot widely, almost 180 degrees of earth kissing sky. It is rural land, vast, limitless but also hopeless, unchanging. And the other space - an inside, between the walls of the house. The place were laws are kept and honor is upheld. It is a violent space, where freedom has to obey dignity, and so, our heroes have to act violently in order to stay free of it. Once they begin to love each other mutually, they pass from the first space to the second - from chance meetings outside, to planned ones inside. Like the earth and the sky, our couple's confinement signals their doom, they can only live outside, meet by chance, do whatever they wish to do, but only love each other in sudden bursts never by commitment. Once they let their love bond them, they start obeying its law, which crushes them. This is the inside, our second space, where change is possible, but our heroes can't survive it, their past freedom becomes their undoing (Paruthiveeran's friends, used to his visiting whores, attack Muthagalu, who is alone and unprotected because she has alienated her family).There is a tendency, among some western viewers, to regard any non-American or European cinema as some kind of an exotic artifact, showing us "how people live over there". If we wish to appreciate a movie for what it is, this arrogant attitude should change. This is not a film about "the caste problem" (there is no "caste problem", caste is a valid social construct with its own set of conflicts and paradoxes like any other). While some cultural knowledge may help, you don't have to speak Tamil to enjoy this film. It is a great work of art, coming from a remarkable cinematic tradition. An instant classic that has brought tears to my eyes.Tamil cinema deserves to be much more well known worldwide. Its main point of strength, for me, is in the way it uniquely utilizes folk elements (as opposed to "pop" elements), contesting hegemonic perceptions without being subversive. It is a mature cinema, yielding many excellent movies, with its own distinct film grammar and editing techniques. Paruthiveeran is a good entry point.
