Krishnaveni Panjaalai Genre: Period drama Director: Dhanapal Padmanabhan Cast: Hemachandran, Nandana, Renuka, Rajiv Krishna Du...
Krishnaveni Panjaalai
Genre: Period drama
Director: Dhanapal Padmanabhan
Cast: Hemachandran, Nandana, Renuka, Rajiv Krishna
Duration: 2 hoursRating:
Storyline: The happenings at a cotton mill, before it is closed down and after.
Bottomline: Would have worked even better if the docu-feel had been avoided.
Story: Kadir (Hemachandran) and Poonkothai (Nandana) are cotton mill workers in southern Tamil Nadu. Their affection grows into love but once the mill closes down following a strike, life gets hard for them and everyone working along with them.
Movie Review: It is every director's dream to debut with a movie that creates an impact among all sections of society. Set in Udumalpet in Coimbatore dictrict, ' Krishnaveni Panjaalai' gets it right by taking us back in time into the lives of mill workers and their joys and sorrows. Director Dhanapalan Padmanabhan does a good job, but a better screenplay could have taken the movie to another level.
'Krishnaveni Panjaalai' carefully recreates the late 1980s when several textile mills in the region began to close down, creating unrest among the workers. The movie captures this particular period in a realistic manner, as also the caste-related tensions.
Where the movie suffers is with its pacing. The director falters in trying to give equal importance to the plight of the mill workers and the romance between the lead pair, which sort of sticks out and dampens the narration. Also, the song 'Rojamalaiye' comes in the way of the story's flow though the melodious music by N R Ragunandhan is in tune with the movie's setting. 'Aalaikari' and 'Un Kankal' come out tops in the album, and the later has been wonderfully captured by Suresh Bharghav.
Hemachandran and Nandana do a good job, and their chemistry works well though the actress could do with a bit of polishing as she tends to go overboard in the emotional scenes. Shanmuga Raja, playing the role of a mill supervisor madly in love with Poonkothai, is a treat to watch. The large cast hampers the movie and characters such as that of M S Bhaskar end up with little to do.
'Krishnaveni Panjaalai' works in parts and could have been more engaging had its screenplay been more tightly knit.
A mill owner (Rajeev Krishna) comes back home to Udumalaipettai, foreign wife in tow, to fulfil his father's last wish that he take over the mill.
He does exceedingly well and by the time our story opens in the '80s, the mill is flourishing, not to mention the mill-workers' families, among whom love blooms: Kathir (Hemachandran) and Poonkothai (Nandhana) are one such couple.
Over time, the mill begins to falter; workers are denied their yearly bonus, problems crop up. Kathir and Poonkothai's love affair appears to run into murky waters as well.
With a story like this, rich in history and a great deal of research, this movie ought to have been a classic – but it isn't. Everything is referred to in the most superficial way; there is no insight into either the mill or its workings, or why the mill owner makes the decisions he makes.
There's no great insight into Kathir and Poonkothai or their romance either: they're already in love when the movie begins, and you're not invested in them or their success. Which is a pity, as all these stories, intertwined, would have made for a very compelling drama if handled right.
Despite the odds stacked against them, the cast does a reasonably good job. The actors suit their roles in looks and body language and have delivered credible performances.
The only person who does make an impact, character-wise, is Poonkothai's mother (Renuka), a caste-obsessed woman who simply cannot bear to see either of her daughters fall in love. Her morose silences and actions make for a far more intriguing story than the one that we're supposed to be watching on-screen.
N R Raghunandhan's music is mildly pleasant, but no chartbusters here; the placement of the numbers hinders the pace as well.
Despite a good cast and intriguing storyline, Krishnaveni Panjaalai doesn't capitalise on these strengths. Instead, it has one of those meandering screenplays that only look good on paper, and fizzle out on-screen.
Directed by newcomer Dhanapal Padmanabhan, 'Krishnaveni Panjalai' banks heavily on script and narration, as the lead actors are mostly debutants.
The director succeeds in taking the audience back to the bygone era, with major support coming in the form of set-props and costumes. However, the way scenes unfold becomes the lacunae, as they lack connectivity. As a result, a potent knot goes haywire as the film progresses, till the director storms back with a touching climax.
Kathir (Hemachandran) and Poongothai (Nandana) work together in a cotton mill called Krishnaveni Panjalai, which is run by a kind-hearted businessman (Rajiv Krishna).
Kathir conducts the marriage of Poongothai's elder sister, who falls in love with his friend. But the newly married are found dead under mysterious circumstances. While this poses a major hurdle to the affair of Kathir and Poongothai, the mill gets locked due to worker's dispute. What happens next is the crux of the film.
The movie which begins in the 1950s ends in 2007. Hemachandran and Poongothai fit well their respective roles, while veterans Bala Singh, Thennavan, M S Bhaskar are adequate. Rajeev Krishna adds value to his character.
Music by Raghunandan is noteworthy. So is camera work by Suresh Bhargav and Adhisayaraj. Dhanapal Padmanabhan makes a decent directorial debut. The film could have been much better, had he concentrated more on the screenplay.
Movie Review: It is every director's dream to debut with a movie that creates an impact among all sections of society. Set in Udumalpet in Coimbatore dictrict, ' Krishnaveni Panjaalai' gets it right by taking us back in time into the lives of mill workers and their joys and sorrows. Director Dhanapalan Padmanabhan does a good job, but a better screenplay could have taken the movie to another level.
'Krishnaveni Panjaalai' carefully recreates the late 1980s when several textile mills in the region began to close down, creating unrest among the workers. The movie captures this particular period in a realistic manner, as also the caste-related tensions.
Where the movie suffers is with its pacing. The director falters in trying to give equal importance to the plight of the mill workers and the romance between the lead pair, which sort of sticks out and dampens the narration. Also, the song 'Rojamalaiye' comes in the way of the story's flow though the melodious music by N R Ragunandhan is in tune with the movie's setting. 'Aalaikari' and 'Un Kankal' come out tops in the album, and the later has been wonderfully captured by Suresh Bharghav.
Hemachandran and Nandana do a good job, and their chemistry works well though the actress could do with a bit of polishing as she tends to go overboard in the emotional scenes. Shanmuga Raja, playing the role of a mill supervisor madly in love with Poonkothai, is a treat to watch. The large cast hampers the movie and characters such as that of M S Bhaskar end up with little to do.
'Krishnaveni Panjaalai' works in parts and could have been more engaging had its screenplay been more tightly knit.
Review 2
Movies like Krishnaveni Panjaalai produced by Minveli Media Works promise much. Directed by debutant Dhanapal Padmanabhan, the movie transports you straight back to a different era—the 1950s—and the tale of a mill, and the lives of several families that revolve around it. A very interesting premise with some promise, as it begins from 1957, skipping through decades to reveal their fates.A mill owner (Rajeev Krishna) comes back home to Udumalaipettai, foreign wife in tow, to fulfil his father's last wish that he take over the mill.
He does exceedingly well and by the time our story opens in the '80s, the mill is flourishing, not to mention the mill-workers' families, among whom love blooms: Kathir (Hemachandran) and Poonkothai (Nandhana) are one such couple.
Over time, the mill begins to falter; workers are denied their yearly bonus, problems crop up. Kathir and Poonkothai's love affair appears to run into murky waters as well.
With a story like this, rich in history and a great deal of research, this movie ought to have been a classic – but it isn't. Everything is referred to in the most superficial way; there is no insight into either the mill or its workings, or why the mill owner makes the decisions he makes.
There's no great insight into Kathir and Poonkothai or their romance either: they're already in love when the movie begins, and you're not invested in them or their success. Which is a pity, as all these stories, intertwined, would have made for a very compelling drama if handled right.
Despite the odds stacked against them, the cast does a reasonably good job. The actors suit their roles in looks and body language and have delivered credible performances.
The only person who does make an impact, character-wise, is Poonkothai's mother (Renuka), a caste-obsessed woman who simply cannot bear to see either of her daughters fall in love. Her morose silences and actions make for a far more intriguing story than the one that we're supposed to be watching on-screen.
N R Raghunandhan's music is mildly pleasant, but no chartbusters here; the placement of the numbers hinders the pace as well.
Despite a good cast and intriguing storyline, Krishnaveni Panjaalai doesn't capitalise on these strengths. Instead, it has one of those meandering screenplays that only look good on paper, and fizzle out on-screen.
Review 3
Conviction and courage are needed to make a film of substance. Dhanapal Padmanabhan, the writer-director of Krishnaveni Panjaalai (U), sure has it in plenty. Avoiding the usual thrills and frills, he has gone in for a strong and realistic story and an authentic milieu even in his debut film. Though KP has been in the making for a while, the interest in it has been kept alive. The promos conveyed that it is going to be an offbeat attempt. It is.
Set in a rather new backdrop of an old cotton spinning mill of Udumalpet 40 years ago, this period film that opens much earlier, in the year 1957 to be exact, juxtaposes the anathema of casteism, the obdurate nature of the working class that fails to see the goodwill of their mill owner and the turmoil that follows, with gentle romance. Only that somewhere along the line the messages seem so many that the narration takes a docu-like turn.
Hero Hemachandran and new face Nandana form a refreshing pair. Hemachandran's pleasing demeanour and Nandana's appealing looks are pluses. So are their performances. Incidentally, Nandana bears a striking resemblance to Sneha. KP should help Hemachandran garner attention — something his earlier films, Puzhal and Nanda Nanditha, failed to do for him.
The man who owns Krishnaveni Panjaalai (Rajiv Krishna) is a do-gooder. He doesn't realise that excess generosity to workers could land him and his cotton mill in trouble. And what shocks him is that the employees, who had enjoyed his largesse over the years, refuse to understand his plight when he's unable to grant them bonus and turn against him. The mill is in the red and because of the unrelenting workforce, gets permanently closed. Probably for the first time in Tamil cinema, a director takes up the cudgels for the ruler rather than the ruled, and shows the mill owner in a positive light. A rare train of thought!
The lives of individuals working at the mill and their major trials and minor joys have been told with attention to detail.
In the way he has etched roles, big and small, Dhanapal shows that he's a director who thinks differently. The characters stay with you because each is vested with a defining trait. Topping the list is Renuka. This mother is bound to haunt you for long. Obsessed with the caste factor, she turns heartless and the plot she hatches against her own daughter who elopes and gets married to the man of her choice is chilling! The grim look with which she goes about the ruthless task, makes her a mom you've rarely seen in cinema. Renuka deserves plaudits. If breaking clichés through his characters is Dhanapal's aim, he has done it admirably.
This actor began as hero and played the villain, and here he's the kind mill owner. His portrayals have been commendable, but somehow, save Aaha, due recognition has been eluding Rajiv Krishna. Hope KP turns the tide in his favour.
Compliments to Raghunandan's aural friendly melodies, and the verses of Vairamuthu (‘Aalaikaari') and Thamarai (‘Un Kangal')!
It is in the screenplay that Dhanapal falters. Scenes end abruptly and stand as separate strands without cohesion. Hence, at many a point the momentum is missing -- naturally the narration sags now and then.
Yet Krishanveni Panjaalai is a film that Tamil cinema can be proud of. KP is not for the crowd that thrives on formula. Though sadly, it is they who decide a film's run at the box office.
Review 4
India's history can be divided into two- before and after globalization. Life was different in the period before 1990s. It was so simple and at the same time very hard. Joys and sorrows are twined together, due to various factors. Of late, there is a penchant in Tamil cinema to make period films, with a special focus on 1980s. Close on the heels of 'Subramanyapuram' 'Naanga' and other such movies, comes 'Krishnaveni Panjalai'.Directed by newcomer Dhanapal Padmanabhan, 'Krishnaveni Panjalai' banks heavily on script and narration, as the lead actors are mostly debutants.
The director succeeds in taking the audience back to the bygone era, with major support coming in the form of set-props and costumes. However, the way scenes unfold becomes the lacunae, as they lack connectivity. As a result, a potent knot goes haywire as the film progresses, till the director storms back with a touching climax.
Kathir conducts the marriage of Poongothai's elder sister, who falls in love with his friend. But the newly married are found dead under mysterious circumstances. While this poses a major hurdle to the affair of Kathir and Poongothai, the mill gets locked due to worker's dispute. What happens next is the crux of the film.
The movie which begins in the 1950s ends in 2007. Hemachandran and Poongothai fit well their respective roles, while veterans Bala Singh, Thennavan, M S Bhaskar are adequate. Rajeev Krishna adds value to his character.
Music by Raghunandan is noteworthy. So is camera work by Suresh Bhargav and Adhisayaraj. Dhanapal Padmanabhan makes a decent directorial debut. The film could have been much better, had he concentrated more on the screenplay.
Krishnaveni Panjaalai - Movie Review
Reviewed by The Cinema News on Jun 8 2012.
Krishnaveni Panjaalai - Movie Online Review, Rating
Krishnaveni Panjaalai - The film could have been much better, had he concentrated more on the screenplay.
Rating:
Reviewed by The Cinema News on Jun 8 2012.
Krishnaveni Panjaalai - Movie Online Review, Rating
Krishnaveni Panjaalai - The film could have been much better, had he concentrated more on the screenplay.
Rating:
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