Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadha

Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadha (Waiting For A New Dawn), the second instalment of the anthology Putham Pudhu Kaalai, has five stories, all themed around the pandemic and lockdown.

In Mugakavasa Mutham (Kiss Over A Mask), two constables Murugan and Kuyili (played by Teejay Arunasalamrisk and Gouri G Kishan) risk an adventure to bring together a young couple and in the process discover their feelings for each other. 

This episode follows two police constables, Murugan and Kuyili, who like each other. They regularly meet at their posting where they turn back drivers and pedestrians regularly. Murugan flirts with Kuyili, while she reciprocates by bringing him lunch. However, one day when Kuyili’s posting gets changed to another location – they both feel dejected. However, opportunity knocks when a young man, Lokesh, comes asking for their help – to help his girlfriend, Manasa, get out of the forced arranged marriage. The story ends with the cops helping Manasa run away with Lokesh and Kuyili kissing Murugan over their masks. 

Loners, directed by Halitha Shameem, features Nalla (Lijomol Jose from Jai Bhim in a fresh, young avatar), a young events professional who connects with Dheeran over a common virtual group. 

While Nalla is dealing with a breakup, loneliness and joblessness, she helps Dheeran overcome the grief and loss of his best friend. It's interesting how both of them find ways and reasons to comfort each other as they form an emotional bond that transcends beyond the boundaries of virtual walls. Nalla casually talks about 'toxic positivity' and how the pandemic has turned people into buying and building stuff that have no future value. It makes us mortals wonder what makes Nalla so woke. 

Mouname Paarvayai (Unsaid Words) is one of the films I was really looking forward to.

 Directed by Madhumita, it's the story of a middle-aged couple, Yashoda and Murali (played by Nadiya and Joju George). From the start, we are shown that the husband and wife are not on talking terms. Yet, they go about their routine communicating with each other through non-verbal cues and expressions. When Yashoda gets very sick – Murali has to step up and take care of her. The brilliance of this episode is that no word is uttered throughout by both characters (Except for “Kapi?”, “Coffee” at the very end). we realise words are not necessary for these acting heavyweights who seem to be excellent at expressing their words through normal everyday actions and facial expressions. Now if you are married and have fought with your partner during the pandemic, you will relate to most bits of their cute and annoying nok-jhok. The music and background score is delightful as well. This was easily one of the best anthologies of the series.

The Mask, put together by Surya Krishna, is a casual reference to people living under a different identity. 

It's the story of Arjun, an IT professional who struggles to tell his conservative parents that he is gay and committed to a serious relationship. While hunting for a rented apartment, he gets a call from a school friend. After meeting up, they inspire each other to accept and face their realities. Three years after Section 377 was quashed, I thought we finally have a regional/Tamil film embracing homosexuality.

Richard Anthony's Nizhal Tharum Idham (Comforting Shadows) is about Shobi, an introvert daughter (beautifully portrayed by Aishwarya Lekshmi) coming to terms with the sudden demise of her father. 

She travels alone from Bangalore to her home in Pondicherry for the funeral. Once home, she grapples with her memories, emotions and feelings as she revisits the incidents from her childhood that bring her closer to discovering her unexplored fears and insecurities. The abstract reference of using dancers to showcase Shobi's state of mind is like watching live theatre for the first time. You don't know what's really happening until you realise what it is trying to tell you. Similarly, each character in the story seems disconnected in its own way. Aishwarya's restraint and mundaneness keeps the character grounded till her final meltdown which may answer some of our questions.

Different themes and emotions are explored here, from love, grief, loneliness, separation, family bonding and fights, death. It teaches us to be hopeful, gentle and kind to each other. There are other characters as well, who have performed well in each of these stories, but unforgettable are the dogs, in second and fifth. There is something in it for everyone, which makes it a family entertainer.

Little slow and depressing, I loved the first one better than this in total.