36 Vayathinile (At the age of 36) - Age no bar!

There are these feel good movies that wash ashore once in a while with simple content presented in a neat way. Director Radhamohan has built his forte around such movies. Incidentally his Mozhi, which was a truly feel good drama (or can we call it a rom-com?) which was also Jyothika’s last movie (worth remembering) before she went into a hiatus after her marriage with Suriya is a good example for a perfect feel good flick. No wonder that she has chosen her comeback vehicle as another pleasantly presented 36 Vayathinile, directed by Roshan Andrews, who directed ‘How Old Are You?’, it’s original version in Malayalam that drew a lot of critical acclaim. Though the Malayalam was a hit, the Tamil remake still had to be executed with diligence, especially considering the sensitivity in audience taste and other such factors. Mr.Andrew seems to have got the combinations right with a good cast and some neat packaging.

Vasanthi Tamizhselvan (Jyothika), a clerk in the revenue department leads a prosaic life that encompasses a very small circle - her husband Tamizhselvan (Rahman), daughter Mithila (Amritha) and her in laws. Her life becomes so claustrophobic that her mid-life crisis shows up in the form of her nagging husband and daughter who constantly look down on her even for trivial issues for which she stands incompetent. Like a bolt from the blue she gets instant national recognition because of her daughter who poses a question for the President of India who happens to have visited her school. From then on the story focuses on how Vasanthi shapes up her life that was haphazard with sheer self-confidence and willpower.

Jyothika, the veteran (is she that old… well, maybe) has delivered a splendid performance and anchored the movie. Rahman’s role was meant to be weak, but we feel sorry for him at times as his stance also seems to get justified at some point because he too has some unfulfilled aspirations and he cannot be found at fault for wanting his wife to be a bit wiser and understanding. But that point in the story is the core and helps in stoking Jyothika’s latent flames. Others in the cast were just about adequate. The music and BGM by Santosh Narayanan was “cool” and he hasn’t dish out anything serious. ‘Vaadi Rasathi’ was the pick of the lot.

Women centric movies are almost a rarity in Tamil. In Hollywood these kind of movies would mostly pop-up as chick-flicks and have garnered a niche for themselves. In Tamil there is a vacuum in this regard, especially after the demise of a legend like Balachander. Its heart-warming to see some cheers being howled at Vasanthi’s character when she is put through an arc of transformation. Though the formula was age-old like the lead earning all his fortunes within the span of a song, the manner in which Vasanthi was shown to achieve her goal was quite unique to Tamil cinema. Though the film delved a bit into the preachy terrain occasionally giving a soap-like appeal and also predictably belted some feministic ideals on the faces of chauvinists, it stood till the end for what it’s title subtly conveys - age is not a barrage if your heart is at the right place.

Also a special thanks to Suriya for producing such movies under his 2D entertainment banner.

Verdict: Good!

Rating: 3 / 5