Savarakathi Review: A bluntly honest film with sharp wit

In Savarakathi, his brother GR Aathityaa cooks up a similar recipe. The treatment is rather refreshing. Hilarious and quirky, the film can be called a cringe comedy (a genre where the humour mostly comes from placing characters in the most embarrassing situations possible, or having them say the most awkward or offensive thing possible at all times).    

Right from the opening credits that are accompanied by a morose background score, the film is nothing like you expect in a Mysskin’s film and quashes all your preconceived notions. Unlike his film that are usually set in the night, Aathityaa’s film is full of bright sunshine with a lot of close-up shots of the actors. Barber Pichai (Ram), who lies through his teeth for a living, is cursed by a kid for manhandling him during a haircut. 

The screen cuts to a scene where people, who fail to pay loan interests on time, are beaten to death by the merciless Manga (Mysskin) and his gang. In the scene that follows, Manga, a loan shark (a moneylender who charges extremely high rates of interest, typically under illegal conditions), who is out on parole for a day, is also cursed by a woman for staring at her with wrong intentions. 

That’s how the film, and the stories of the characters unfold. With two kids, and a pregnant wife Subathra (Poorna) who is also hearing impaired, Pichai reluctantly travels to a temple on his old Rajdoot bike, only to help his wife’s brother get married to his girlfriend. Fate brings him closer to Manga, who he bumps into on the road. Pichai’s talkative nature lands his family and himself in trouble. 

The following incidents help the lead characters in the film, including a mother who is against love marriage, go through a transformation before becoming better human beings towards the end.     

Given the plot, it is but natural for any filmmaker to create a narrative that makes the audience invest all their emotions, but Mysskin, who has also written the film, chooses a different path, and it works. It’s more like Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton films where the protagonist narrowly escapes death or a risky situation with an acrobatic stunt. There is pain and suffering in every Charlie Chaplin film, but the way it’s presented makes one laugh through it. There are moments in the film during which one would ideally break into tears, but here, you take it with a dose of laughter. That’s where Savarakathi ’s scores highest.  

There are also a few scenes that melt our hearts, particularly one where Bethappa (Mohan — Manga’s uncle) explains how severe labour pains are, and when a differently-abled server gives hope to Pichai to overcome his pain. However, at times, underplaying emotions could also backfire as people might fail to connect with the intentions of the writer. Subathra’s character isn’t easy to pull off on screen. Though her character is prone to suffering, the body-language that Poorna carries throughout the film doesn’t seek sympathy, and that’s the biggest success of her role. Her dialogue delivery is commendable, particularly the scenes in which she swears and not to mention the clever use of proverbs in them. This is a career-best for the actress. 

After Pisaasu, Arrol Correli hits the bull’s eye yet again with his powerful background score.  At times, it’s only his music that reminds us often that these characters have animated attributes — as it’s something new. As they say, save the best for last — the two ace directors Mysskin and Ram hold the film together and have done exceptionally well as actors. 

While Ram slips into the character of a barber effortlessly, Mysskin’s performance is so good that you can’t imagine anyone else playing Manga. At the end of the day, Savarakathi is an honest film that stays with you much after you leave the theatres.

Cast: Ram, Mysskin, Poorna, Ashwath, Mohan, Adhesh Karthick, Ruthru, Geetha Ananth, Sangeetha Balan and Harris 

Directed by: Aathityaa GR 

Written by: Mysskin 

Music: Arrol Correli 

Synopsis: A barber, who is known to lie through his teeth, picks up a brawl with a bunch of goons, without realising that he is actually confronting a ruthless shark who is out on parole. What follows is a hilarious cat and mouse game between the two that eventually transforms not just their lives but also of those around. 

Rating: 3.5/5