MOVIE REVIEW
CHAKKARAKATTI
THE Western lifestyle is often showcased in Indian movies as being emulated by the rich and famous as a show of having gained wealth and reputation.
In Chakkarakatti the exaggerations somehow works well for even the middle class. With Shantanu playing the lead alongside Ishita and Vedika, the lifestyle portrayed appeared like an overzealous attempt, but if you don’t put on your thinking cap, the movie will come on just as fine.
Juices straight from the refrigerator for breakfast and girls visiting male friends in the bedroom at the family home are just some of things I found too westernized in the movie, but again why not for a change?
Chakkarakatti is typically a love story- two girls and a guy.
Taking after his father, actor turned director Bhagyaraj, , Shantanu acting skills seemed polished in the movie despite this being his maiden entry. His dimpled smile and rustic teenage outlook was refreshing, leaving the girls trying very hard to keep up by doing the best in the glamour roles assigned to them.
Both Divali ( Ishita) and Rhema ( Vedika) are in love with Raj ( Shantanu) but Raj loves only Divali and the whole movie is about the three coping with the pitfalls of college love affair.
The casting of Raj’s friends was excellent as the boys kept the humour tone high throughout the movie. There was no need for a comedian and without a villain, the movie was just as good.
The animation-laced movie has lots of technology gone into it and A.R. Rahman’s feet-thumping music bombarding the movie will keep you appeased. There were two songs I particularly liked, Taxi , Taxi and Marudhani, one for its fast rappy beat and the other for a touch of old and new sentimentalism.
Director Kala Prabhu, the son of legendary producer Kalai Puli Thanu has given the typical teenage love story a new lease by refashioning some of the regular love-failure scenes.
Adults were all pictured flat in this flick, leaving the plot to evolved with just the’ kids’ in the picture. There is absolutely no ‘interference’ from the parents and again, for a change it was good.
I would recommend Chakkarakatti for its simple story line and entertaining dialogues and it would appeal to the young and old.
