56. Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren; movie review

ORU NALLA NAAL PATHU SOLREN
Cert 12A
147 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence

It's been a long time since Mrs W and I gave this level of dedication to the everyfilm challenge because only ten hours after attending Ilford Cineworld, we were there again.
And, I have to say that another Tamil film resulted in heavy eyelids.
Yes, despite, its high rating on Internet Movie Database, we thought that Oru Nalla Naal Pathu Solren was a disappointing bloated, sloppy, shouty pile of nonsense.
As Mrs W commented as we departed screen 3, P. Arumugakumar's film had an interesting premise but squeezed the life out of every interesting thought.
It stars Vijay Sethupathi as the head of a remote and small Indian tribe who base their life on ritual and crime. Yes, they all dress in black and steal as a way of life.
This is the first intriguing concept, enhanced by rigorous moral rules around the crimes, which is wasted.
Instead, the emphasis switches to Sethupathi's middle-aged character stalking a student (Niharika Konidela) who he claims is going to be his wife.
Meanwhile, a lad (Gautham Kartik) who is much nearer her age has turned her head with some more conventional chat-up lines.
So, the first half of the film has the parallel stories of the stalking and the courting of a pretty lass while the second half goes completely off the rails back in the Indian jungle.
There are a number of faults with Our Nalla Naal Pathu Soldren.
Firstly, would a powerful man in his 20s really accept betrothal to an eight-year-old girl and keep himself celibate for 14 years?
Secondly, would a suitor really chase her into the jungle after knowing her for two weeks?
Don't get me on the sidekicks of the love rivals because their entanglement bears even less scrutiny as does that of the parents' of the young woman.
Am I over-analysing a film which is little more than a distracting frippery. I don't think so. Laziness is a curse among Indian screenwriters and they need to be challenged to make their pictures more convincing.
Ultimately, Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren is too dependent on slapping, face-pulling and wigs and I have seen enough Tamil movies to know they should be better than that.

Reasons to watch: a rare focus on a jungle tribe
Reasons to avoid: "too slappy and shouty" in the words of Mrs W 

Laughs: none from us
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 4/10

The big question: Do Indian jungle tribes still exist?

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