Posted on August 14, 2019
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Ramit
August 17, 2019
What a transformation the director has undergone from Harivu (2014) to Nathicharami (2018)! First, there are production level transformations. In the former movie, there is a night scene where a couple is sleeping on their bed. That bed is so small that just one turn by the husband, and he may fall on the floor. And the actors are wearing the same clothes that they wore during the day time. The wife is sleeping in saree, and the husband is in jeans and t-shirt. Try imagining a scenario where a guy is sleeping in jeans and t-shirt at night, with his wife by his side, and that too when he has returned home after 10 days. This scene essentially tells that the movie is more about intentions than execution. On the other hand, in Nathicharami, the protagonist’s house is so big that the entire cast of Harivu could live there happily, forever. Also, in Harivu, the guy whose father is in hospital is played by an actor who makes the mediocre script even worse with his lack of variations in emotions and dialogue delivery. On the other hand, Nathicharami is helmed by the charismatic Sruthi Hariharan. She makes the brilliant script shine more brightly. Look at the scene where she is reminded of the flowers by her maid, and her look stays transfixed on the mirror. Leave aside acting through body movements, Sruthi can convey emotions through her stillness as well! Were these upgrades for the director made possible because Harivu won National Award? If yes, it’s a positive sign that National Awards help a small director make such a giant leap.
The major transformations are in the story-telling though. From the one-note simplistic story of Harivu, we have got the multi-layered complex story of Nathicharami. Even the background score has been used quite stylistically here. And the editing is much much sharper. Though the narrative in both the films remains didactic, the ‘message’ of Harivu doesn’t feel fresh. On the other hand, the story of Nathicharami is so modern that Bollywood would have some catching up to do.
Looking forward to Mansore’s next feature.
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