A Dark Theme, But One That Holds Out Hope

A subtleanti-castemessagewovenintoamovingtalethatdoesntshyawayfromtoughquestions

- Srinivasa Ramanujam

When the lines ‘caste and religion are against humanity’ appear in the first frame of a film, you know that you’re in for a hard­hitting couple of hours. But it is entirely to director Mari Selvaraj’s credit that he slips in this message subtly into a moving tale that chronicles caste issues in Tamil Nadu.

The film opens with Karuppi, the dog that’s now famous thanks to the popular number. It’s 2005, and the dog’s looking out at a passing train, even as its trainer Pariyerum Perumal (Kathir) is chatting with his friends nearby. And then something happens – and this is within five minutes into the film, mind you – and we’re moved to tears as tragedy strikes and Karuppi is gone, a bit too soon.

“Ellam manusanum inga onnu illa (Not every human being is the same),” goes a line in the song, hinting at what’s coming at us