May 06, 2010 06:54 PM
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Imagine the guts of a director, who is just one movie old(veyil, of course that movie won awards in international film fests) taking on one of the biggest, most powerful business house in chennai, Saravana stores, in what can be named as an expose of the practises(mal) within the business house which sees hundereds of it's employees suffering in many ways! The thought itself is pretty scary!
Angadi theru, or Market street, is a movie about shops and petty businesses that happen in the ever famous "Ranganathan street"(sometimes compared to the times square for the amount of neon lighting), specifically the biggest shop in that street, saravana Stores(shown just as a representative of so many other megastores there). The movie cateogrically rips off the mask that these mega stores are wearing while presenting themselves as one stop shops for all our needs, with happily smiling celebrities displaying their products and employees enjoying their day to day work so much.
The movie revolves around the lives of Jothi lingam(Mahesh, a tamilnadu state Volleyball player), an excellent student whose life turns sour with the passing away of his father. As in any poor family, Lingu(as he is referred to) is selected for the post of sales man, through a mass recruitment drive by the stores personnel(the store is referred as senthil kumar, another name of lord saravana:), the biggest hint yet), reaches chennai with his close pal and joins the stores with hollywood size dreams. There he meets Kani(Anjali, known for her role in katradu tamil) with whom he has loads and loads of fights initially, but of course ending up in love. The rest of the movie showcases their daily sufferings including
Living in the stores provided accomodation which is a huge hall occupied by all employees with space just enough to lie down as stiff as a mummy does
Using shared bathrooms and toilets in this accomodation
Eating food in the most un-hyegenic conditions, that too fighting for whatever food is served, using shared plates etc
Being constantly watched and monitored by the stores supervisors who do not think twice to physically beat up employees, irrespective of the gender, even if they speak to each other
Women employees being molested.
Deducing one rupee of salary even for a minutes delay in reporting to work
lack of leave or holiday
etc.
After going through extreme treatment from the hands of the floor supervisor, which results in Kani being molested by the stores supervisor, Lingu beats the crap out of the supervisor and is jailed by the stores guys. Lingu gets badly beaten up but manages to get away smartly(not letting the secret out, as to how:) ). He also manages to get Kani out, from the clutches of the stores folks. What they do for a livelihood, to support their families back home, and what a gruesome incident towards the end of the movie(shown in the begining of the movie itself) forms the rest of the movie.
Why the movie works- 1)The movie is very raw in presentation, 2)The plot is unheard of in indian cinema(to the extent I know), 3)the characters are close to real life(looks, behaviour, traits etc), 4)performance by the cast was truly brilliant. What you would expect from a 17-21 year old boys and girls forced into working at an early age, but still retaining their childishness, was brilliantly portayed by all the artists. 5)There are other aspects unique to Ranganathan street and its hawkers and vendors that are beautifully portrayed. I for one enjoyed these the best as I was a regular to this street during my initial days in chennai.6) the script. Despite the seriousness of the subject and the songs that come in between, Vasanthabalan has been able to keep the audience engaged and engrossed in the movie, which in itself is an achievement.
What drags the movie- 1) Songs 2) Gaane 3) Paatu.( I still cant digest songs in movies)
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who can digest hard facts and who appreciate good cinema. Strictly not for ones who watch movies only for entertainment, you will leave the hall with a headache.
