Pannaiyarum Padminiyum

This quaint little movie is further manifest proof that there is immense beauty in the small and ordinary things/events in life which often go unnoticed in the express and over-wrought existence that we have come to understand as life these days. This movie also serves to reinforce what appears to be a forgotten fact that mandatory scenes in TASMAC shops (read boozing), item numbers, mindless violence and Santhanam's comedy are not essential ingredients for making a Tamil movie.

This simple movie is set in the age of Shaktiman (late 90s), our very own superhero show which was aired on national television and reigned undisputed over the imagination of the nation. The setting is a remote village of Tamil Nadu with a soft-spoken and well-meaning middle-aged landlord (Pannaiyar, as he is called by the villagers) with an equally affectionate wife. When the Pannaiyar comes across a Premier Padmini car at his relative's house, it is love at first sight. In a lucky twist of fate, the relative leaves the car with the landlord when he has to travel out of town to look after his pregnant daughter. The landlord employs Murgesan (Vijay Sethupathy) as the driver who falls in love with the car too. Soon, we see the car, which is almost the sole motorised transport available to the villagers being used by the villagers for all and sundry purposes and consequently, the entire village is enamoured by the car and they see it as a prized possession. Even the landlord's wife who is initially annoyed at her husband's love affair with the car, is also fascinated by it and dreams of her husband driving her to temple on their upcoming anniversary.

The landlord seeks to fulfil his wife's desire and is eager to learn driving. But, Murugesan fears that he may become dispensable if the landlord starts driving by himself and employs several dilatory tactics to fool the gullible landlord. Does the landlord get to learn driving and fulfil his wife's desire on their anniversary ? What happens to Murugesan ? What happens when the coveting daughter of the landlord sets her eye on the car for herself and her husband ? Watch the movie to find the answers. There are also sub plots involving Murugesan's love interest (an expressive Ishwarya) and a quest of a young boy who saves up to earn a ride on the front seat of the car.

Debutante director Arun Kumar has proven his mettle in creating believable characters whom one could relate to and root for. He backs it with apt casting of the leads as well as the supporting cast. The two leads - Jayaprakash as the endearing Pannaiyar and Thulasi as his loving wife - are simply excellent as they emote well and share a warm chemistry. Their performances are accentuated by the fact that their characters were such which required them to maintain a fine balance, failing which they would have become a caricature. Yet, they manage to carry the entire movie on their able shoulders and compensate for the cliches and faults in the writing with their acting chops. I was especially impressed with Jayaprakash who is utterly convincing in his portrayal of the loving landlord. Vijay Sethupathy is convincing in a substantive cameo and Balasaravanan as Peedai brings comic relief. The director's brilliance is evidenced in his writing where he has used the car in a central, yet subtle manner to explore the various dimensions of his characters through the connections they forge with the car.

For a movie which owes its origins to a short film, it feels a tad too long and the length could have been chopped by thirty minutes which would have made it a taut watch. Nevertheless, Arun Kumar tries valiantly by injecting his narrative with healthy doses of situational humour and marshals his technical resources, be it cinematography or the art departments admirably to present an authentic rustic and period feel. Credits are also due to the debutante music director Justin Prabhakaran who has provided some lilting and melodious numbers which herald him as a talent to look forward to.

Despite its flaws, this slice of life drama is a highly entertaining effort by the writer-director Arun Kumar which tugs at your heart and deserves several plaudits. He has dared to debut a movie with two senior character artists as leads and has succeeded in his venture substantially. He deserves kudos for exploring a path that is less trodden and is the latest addition to a growing club of new wave directors in Tamil cinema like Thiagarajan Kumararaja (Aaranya Kaandam), Karthik Subburaj (Pizza), Nalan Kumarasamy (Soodhu Kavvum), Alphonse Putheran (Neram), Balaji Tharaneetharan (Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom) and Balaji Mohan (Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi). One feels immensely heartened at these signs which portend healthy auguring for Tamil cinema. Amen !!

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Pannaiyarum Padminiyum (U) --------- my Rating : ★★★★★ U WILL LOVE YOUR CAR

STRENGTHS :- * Casting and Performances : award winning * Story Screenplay Direction : very good by debut-ant * Dialogues were perfect and enjoyable ....

WEAKNESSES :- * Strictly NO weaknesses

FINAL VERDICT :- * Overall.... it is a best Tamil movie till date after a long time ... If u don't watch this then u are missing something to watch in your life ....

The warm love story of a landlord and his wife (and their car).

Stars: Vijay Sethupathi, V. Jayaprakash, Iyshwarya Rajesh | See full cast and crew »

There are so many children, adults, mothers, so many people here who have lived with the nostalgia of not being able to do the closest thing to themselves for a minute! . The art has come to refresh such nostalgia! .

This is one of the most unique stories to have emerged from Tamil cinema in recent times. Jayaprakash plays the role of an elderly landlord in a village who has a loving relationship with his wife. The only problem is their married daughter keeps fleecing them of their belongings. A friend leaves his old car with Jayaprakash as he has to be away for sometime. Since Jayaprakash doesn't know how to drive, he enlists the help of Vijay Sethupathi who is delighted to help. The Padmini car becomes an object of emotional attachment for the main characters in the story. One day, Jaya Prakash's manipulative daughter arrives on the scene. Rest of the story is about how an emotional struggle ensues. The song "Unakkaga Pirantheney" is a beautiful ode to love between an elderly couple who have shared a long and warm relationship and stands out as a rare song among the thousands of love songs being written for Tamil cinema.

"Pannaiyarum Padminiyum" is a slow moving hilarious tale of a car and its owner..Though the story is very simple you cannot find any moment which is boring. Plot- Pannaiyar aspires to buy a car and he get one as a gift.He faces many consequences and tackles them with a skillful driver.It is a love story not between Homo Sapiens but between a man and his car.

Vijay Sethupathi has performed excellently in the comic scenes as well as sentimental scenes. Jayaprakash is the man apt for the role and has given his best.Director Arun Kumar deserves an applause for his efforts. The film also portrays a love song between a elderly married couple unlike other films. The Music Director has given what the film needs. There is no violence in the film which fascinates all kinds of people.

A man can watch this film with his whole family and the director has made it so well so that everyone likes it.This film is one of a kind and deserves a rating of 7/10. Have a comfortable journey while watching the film !