‘Lubber Pandhu’ movie review: Harish Kalyan, Attakathi Dinesh hit it out of the park with this wholesome entertainer

Harish Kalyan and Attakathi Dinesh in ‘Lubber Pandhu’
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association

In a rustic like India the place cricket is an emotion, there’s no dearth of movies on the beloved sport. From biopics on a number of the greatest gamers the sport has seen, to utilizing cricket as a backdrop for a heart-warming underdog drama, a number of iterations of the sport have been explored. Now with Lubber Pandhu, director Tamizharasan Pachamuthu sheds mild on the rubber ball cricket match tradition prevalent within the deep pockets of Tamil Nadu, and intricately weaves an intriguing narrative round it.

Some movies blow your thoughts with a definite story set in a very new backdrop whereas others narrate a easy, simple story however work due to the way in which its parts come collectively; Lubber Pandhu is a textbook instance of the latter. Within the movie, Anbu (Harish Kalyan) is a small-town man and a gifted bowler who crosses paths with Poomalai a.ok.a. Gethu (Attakathi Dinesh), an older, much-revered batsman. A sequence of unlucky incidents set off their egos and their on-field rivalry spills into their private lives… just for it to hit a crescendo once they study that Anbu is in a relationship with Gethu’s daughter Durga (Sanjana Krishnamoorthy).

Attakathi Dinesh and Harish Kalyan
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association

Movies on ego and interpersonal relationships appear to be working effectively for Harish. He ended final yr with a bang due to Parking, the place his character confronted off in opposition to a fellow tenant, performed by the veteran MS Bhaskar. On this movie, his rivalry is with Attakathi Dinesh who’s recent off the success of the underrated J Baby which was additionally, by the way, about household and interpersonal relationships. Whereas the premise would possibly sound much like Blue Star which got here out earlier this yr, Lubber Pandhu dwells deep into the intricacies of relationships and the way egos can impact them. The truth that each movies additionally maintain a mirror to how deep-rooted caste-based discrimination is in our society in a delicate method, is the cherry atop the cake.

Each the lead characters aren’t notably difficult roles, although Harish and Dinesh pull them off fairly effectively; the explanation boils right down to how their characters have been sketched. Anbu and Gethu are two males belonging to 2 completely different generations however that’s about all of the distinctions they’ve. Each would do something for his or her one real love, worth friendship, are gamers with egos as large as their abilities, and, after all, love cricket greater than anything.

Director Tamizharasan does a splendid job of characterising and, because the movie progresses, humanising Anbu and Gethu’s tryst with a myriad of feelings. Anbu, as his title suggests, is the primary to wave the white flag whereas Gethu, as you might need guessed, is the tougher nut to crack. Talking of names, Yashoda (performed by a powerful Swasika) has to show right into a mom determine for her husband Gethu who prioritises his recreation over the betterment of his household. For a movie on a sport between testosterone-powered males, Lubber Pandhu pleasantly surprises you with how effectively the ladies characters are written.

Whereas the romantic parts between Anbu and his girlfriend Durga (Sanjana Krishnamoorthy) are written with sufficient care to not slacken the movement of the movie, it’s the matured romance between Yashoda and Gethu that’s most memorable. This works predominantly due to the love-hate relationship they share, together with a further layer introduced in by the truth that they belong to 2 completely different castes. Lubber Pandhu additionally showcases the lads to be impetuous creatures whereas the ladies — who face the brunt of their male counterparts’ actions — are extra level-headed and hold issues from falling aside. However arguably one of the best a part of the movie is the way it by no means villainises any of its characters or romanticises their flaws; it exhibits them to be a product of their circumstances, and the way all it takes is one proper name to get into the great books of their relations.

Harish Kalyan and Sanjana Krishnamoorthy
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association

Tamizharasan introduces us to the world of rubber ball cricket, and its affect on the lives of its gamers, full with their quirks; there’s even a scene the place a bride indicators an settlement at her marriage ceremony reception that she would let her husband play cricket together with his pals! Be it the introduction songs they play each time a star participant walks into the pavilion — it’s Vijayakanth hits for Gethu, and Vijay for Anbu — or how Gethu makes use of his handkerchief as a bat deal with grip, the eye to detailing turns us from theatrical watchers to stadium spectators. A private favorite is how the movie defines two explicit timelines with how a lot a rubber ball prices in that particular yr.

And boy, the cricket match parts are a deal with to observe! The director spins a googly with these sequences as he goes in opposition to the grains of typical cricket movie tropes. Tamizharasan subverts expectations at essential moments and these nuggets of little wins lets us ignore the movie’s snags equivalent to a compelled feminine empowerment trope surrounding a participant, that feels pointless. As with each Tamil movie on cricket, there’s ample scope for humour due to the colloquial recreation commentary, however Lubber Pandhu takes it up a notch with the characters performed by Bala Saravanan and Jenson Dhivakar. The movie additionally does a beautiful job in the case of managing its secondary characters and the one performed by Kaali Venkat may very effectively change into a fan-favourite.

With a number of arcs weaved collectively seamlessly — together with the caste oppression angle to which Tamizharasan provides a profound decision — the filmmaker makes his mark as a expertise to be careful for. Lubber Pandhu is a breath of recent air and a refreshing addition to the ever-growing record of movies on cricket; a lot in order that we are able to name it an entire new ballgame.

Lubber Pandhu is at present operating in theatres