Madras Matinee

In our small world, we, the middle class people, have our own set of adventures, from making ends meet, educating the kids, marrying them off (say no to dowry), celebrating festivals in a way that meets some elusive societal standards, taking care of parents, repaying loans and paying premiums while saving our face and reputation. It is full of drama, romance, action, comedy, all in one.

Madras Matinee does justice in capturing this essence, it wasn't a movie; more like a documentary with Sathyaraj's commentary in the background, with several impactful narrations.

The casting was on point, with no overwhelming, dramatic music, just the monotonous lull of routine.

It was grossly interrupted by uninspiring humor, the only negative I could find in this True Story.

The father: the pain he feels when he is disrespected by his children, the fear of failing in front of them, the sense of worthlessness he carries like a cross throughout his life, admits to not have received any guidance but the only genuine constant is the responsibility he feels for the happiness of his family, his children. His joy in learning to ride a car, because it was a novelty, the first time he decided when to accelerate and when to press brake and could finally steer his own path. Probably a moment of self-discovery for a man who never knew what pleasure feels like. Painfully ignorant of the silent reputation he has earned through his simple living. "Amaidiya irundha awkward aiduvaru"

The mother: Sensible, companion and confidant to her kids, finding happiness in the myriad household chores, the backbone that supports the so-called man of the house, hiding her own sorrows and desires and drinking it up with her timely tea. Panam irundha podhuma, pasamum venum nu purinjavanga.

The elder daughter: Shouldering responsibility, accepting all turmoils with a steely determination, repressed and oppressed and fighting for a voice without probably realising she was bullied, fighting for her freedom, wanting to take flight but tentative on her tender wings, wanting to change her life's trajectory while battling her loyalty to her parents's values. Amul baby um, judgemental aunties um vendam nu oru mudivu.

The younger brother: Quick to anger, quick to judge, quick to feel and quick to let go. He needs his sibling's counsel and shoulder, exploring adolescent infatuation and declaring, "Coimbatore lam boring, Chennai dhan Mass" Ellathayum vedukkunnu seiyaradhu. He probably knows, roshathoda vaazha kaasu mukkiyam illa.

Their choicelessness, hence resolve, as they take on the next day as if nobody died (RIP Brownie) the previous night.

Some Gems: Final rites are the celebration of the life that they lived.

Na summandha en uyir ippo enna sumakkudhu Petrol (kuppai) vasanai varakudathunu kulichuttu varadhu.

Evlo panninanalum edho oru kora vachitta mathiri irukum.

Tamil ah bhagawan dhan kaapathanum

Conclusion: Definitely heavy hearted and teary eyed, with the realization that the more we notice the ones below us in the rungs of societal privileges, the more grateful we can be, yet we look at what we don't have so our next generation can access those too. (adutha thalaimurai aadhu thala thookanum).

Middle Class Makkal oda manasila irukra bayam, vidhikka pattadha, vidhaikka pattadha nu oru kelvi.

The theatre was silent throughout, except for the sniffles and sobs and cheers only in the end, remembering their childhood lost to the inevitable Ethir Neechal.

You will know the movie had you by your heartstrings if you went home and mustered the courage to have an open conversation with your family.

Must watch movie I couldn't stop myself from crying.

Relatable to all middle class people. Sacrifices of dad and mom only to make kids happy and future safe was well narrated.

"Kadasiya ellarum senthu Enna saptom by enaku neyabaga ill" touched me hard.

I felt bad for not remembering my last meal with my family.

No big starts, no songs, no action fights yet a masterpiece

Detailing in movie is perfect .

Must watch movie I couldn't stop myself from crying.

Relatable to all middle class people. Sacrifices of dad and mom only to make kids happy and future safe was well narrated.

"Kadasiya ellarum senthu Enna saptom by enaku neyabaga ill" touched me hard.

I felt bad for not remembering my last meal with my family.

No big starts, no songs, no action fights yet a masterpiece

Detailing in movie is perfect .

Mr. Karthikeyan Mani subtly weaved the monotony of an ordinary man's life in such a way that it never felt dull, keeping us engaged for over two hours.

Apparently, this is his directorial debut. I heard he had earlier made a short film.

But after watching this movie, one can confidently say - he has clearly been in the workshop for years.

Kali Venkat delivers a career-defining performance as "Kannan", while Sathyaraj, despite limited screen time, makes a strong impact as the narrator.

Romance, economy, politics - everything is portrayed with maximum realism, without trying to sugarcoat the inherent messiness of those aspects.

That makes way for naturally humorous moments, causing the OTT viewer to smile every now and then without even realizing the passage of time or setting.

Supporting actors like George Maryan, Sunil Sukhada, and Shelly Kishore are excellent, and even the newcomers perform with surprising maturity - no false notes or ego.

There's even a dog with a performance so convincing, it feels like it got a paycheck!

Writer-director Karthikeyan smartly anticipates cringe moments and flips them on their head, even gently mocking the overuse of the term "cringe."

No unnecessary songs, no forced drama - just honest storytelling with heart.

A slight lag towards the end, but by then, the film has already earned your patience.

Speaking of the 'slice of life' genre in Kollywood, here's another film that starts off with "An ordinary lower middle class life is boring" and ends with "Everyday in an ordinary lower middle class life is full of adventure in its own way."

The writing and the storytelling of this film feels like you met someone you know after a long time and they're catching you up to everything that has happened since then, I don't know why it feels that way.

Kaali Venkat and the rest of the cast out up stellar performances (minus the amma character dubbing) supported by surprisingly refreshing music in a time when all we hear is copy-pasted Ani-bro content. There's humor in the film that works for the most part and makes the heavy storyline feel breezy.

Why this film needed Satyaraj as a narrator, I am not sure but I suppose he added 'star value' to the film which probably helped with marketing it. Parts of the film (like the driving school segment) felt unnecessary and could have been cut. That said, neither adversely impact the film.

If you are looking for something realistic to watch with your family, especially the elders, and maybe don't mind shedding a tear or two, something along the lines of Kudumbasthan/Tourist Family/3BHK, this one should absolutely be on your watchlist.

Wonderful story telling one of the best feel good drama that made me cry, so relatable and natural, Kaali Venkat eyes reflects everything a common man feels yet subtle expression makes it more real, shelly George lived like every mother, what an artist, something has to be said for the dog brownie, a character truly lived as a local hero, Sathyaraj Sir way of storytelling is a lesson to all directors out there, detailing of events, character description what a marvelous writing by director, need more films like this, if this was released in Hollywood it would have been a classic,As a 90's kid this is like my life, Masterpiece! Should be celebrated out and out.