In Halitha Shameem's second film, Sillu Karuppatti, love blossoms at the most unexpected of places. If a cancer-stricken man finds his soulmate in an Ola share ride, a married couple rediscover their long lost spark at a supermarket. Of course, even this film has a 'love at first sight' moment, but the catch is, it happens between two elderly people.
Sillu Karuppatti is an assortment of four short stories, dealing with the subject of love. This anthology stars Samuthirakani, Sunaina, Manikandan K., Leela Samson, Sara Arjun and others. The film is produced by Divine creations. Despite being an anthology, the film happens within a connected world, where characters from one short appear in another. There is a surprise element created in the process.
The first short film, Pink Bag, is a teen romance between a rag picker Maanja (Rahul) and Mitti (played by Sara Arjun), resident of an upscale area. What makes them closer is a pink litter bag from Mitti's house, which arrives at the garbage yard. Though the short film plays in a clichéd zone of a rich versus poor romance, the segment ends on a satisfactory note. The portion is mainly uplifted by the spirited performances of Rahul and the actor who plays Tesh, Maanja's friend.
The film progress to its second, and the most refreshing stories, Kaakka Kadi. This segment debates the validity of 'unconditional' love (the segment uses a crow as a metaphor for the theme), even in turbulent times. Mukhilan (Manikandan), a meme-creator gets the biggest shock of his life as he gets diagnosed with cancer in his male organ. His alliance gets cancelled, as he carries his grief stricken self to the hospital in a cab, which he frequently shares with Madhu (Niveditha Sathish), a fashion designer. Trust Halitha Shameem to treat serious issues with lightness, as this segment discusses heavier, tabooed topics in a non-serious way.
One of the most refreshing aspects is the story's ability is it's ability to make us empathize with Amudhan's plight, while subtly joking about the same aspect. The succeeding short film, Turtles, deals with a romance simmering between Yashodha (Leela Samson) and Navaneethan ( 'Krav Maga' Sreeram).
The film builds their romance with a nice setup involving a pair of binoculars held by Navaneethan and an adjacent playground, where Yashodha budges to a kid's wish and plays in the slide (The scene lands with an adorable grace note involving Yashodha's tenant). Though Sillu Karuppatti is more of a conversational film, the dialogue and characters lighten them up, as every conversation is filled with emotions one can relate to.
Take for instance, the scene where Navaneethan makes upto Yashodha for his unintentionally objectionable words to her, with a pun. The scene comes across as genuinely humorous without being corny. This segment, and the film as a whole, doesn't give a judgemental gaze to its central characters.
The film concludes like an icing on the top, with 'Hey Ammu', a short that deals with a married couple Dhanapal (Samuthirakani) and Amudhini (Sunainaa), as they attempt to repair their dysfunctional relationship and their long-forgotten spark. Even in this segment, Haleetha Shameem handles potentially heavier domestic issues with lightness.
The film rarely deviates from its tonality. Even the sunlit, saturated colour palette (the cinematography is by Manoj Paramahamsa, Abhinandan Ramanujam, Vijay Kartik Kannan and Yamini Yagnamoorthy) stays true to that. Sillukkaruppatti is aptly cast and with top-notch performances. Samuthirakani surprises you with his charming act as the bumbling husband, while Manikandan ably portrays the vulnerability of Mukhilan. Sunainaa and Leela Samson deliver well-restrained performances. Sillu Karuppatti is a highly satisfying romance that leaves you with a smile.
[Review based on a special preview show to the press members on December 23rd. Catch the film in theatres, from the 27th of December]