Raghu Thatha Movie Review : Keerthy Suresh delights in a message movie that doesn't feel like one

Raghu Thatha Movie Synopsis:

Raghu Thatha Movie Review: With Raghu Thatha, writer Suman Kumar manages to hit two birds with one stone with his debut directorial that works both as a low-key dramedy and a message movie. The setting is the late 60s, when the union government has been forced to take a step back on making Hindi the official language, thanks to the anti-Hindi imposition protests in the state. It's also a time when young women were beginning to open up to the idea of self-independence, influenced by the progressive ideals of leaders like Periyar.

The action takes place in Valluvanpettai, an idyllic village, where Kayalvizhi (Keerthy Suresh), a fiercely independent bank employee, is a much-admired figure for standing up against Hindi imposition as a student and halting the setting up of a Hindi prachar sabha. But it is her writings, under the pseudonym of Ka Pandian (it's a time when a woman being a writer could result in lower readership), that earns her the admiration of Tamilselvan (Ravindra Vijay), an engineer. Kayal, who's being pressured by her family to get married, finally relents when her grandfather (MS Baaskar) - her role model - learns that his days are numbered, due to cancer. And impressed by Selva's progressive ideals, she relents, and decides to marry him. But then, she uncovers a truth that puts her in a position where, to protect her ideals, she has to do the one thing she's been standing against - learn Hindi and sit for an exam!

The biggest strength of Raghu Thatha is that despite being a film that wants to convey not one but two messages - women empowerment and anti-Hindi imposition, it never turns preachy. The writing never becomes didactic and focuses on telling the story of its protagonist. The period setting and the quirky tone actually make it feel closer in spirit to Mundasupatti.

On the downside, the film's plot does take a while to get going. Much of the first half is spent in immersing us into this laidback world of Valluvanpettai, where things happen at their own pace. There are times when we wonder where the plot is headed, more so because we keep returning to the same half-a-dozen or so characters and the handful of locations. It is in these sections, when neither the comedy nor the drama feels compelling enough to create that shared experience which makes theatrical viewing special, that the film gives off a strong 'OTT watch' vibe. The cinematography (Yamini Yagnamurthy), and production design (Ramcharantej Labani), which bring an ad film aesthetic (soft focused lighting that adds a warm glow to squeaky clean props and tastefully designed costumes (Poornima and Shruthi Manjari)), only accentuate this feeling.

Thankfully, the film finds its ground in the second half when it makes us invested in Kayal's predicament and begins to deliver in terms of humour and dramatic tension. And from the moment when Kayal sits for the Hindi exam till the end, Suman (and his editor TS Suresh) keeps building up the comedy and suspense. Be it naming a character after himself or using a visual gag of a bald head reading our a mottai kadidasi or a superb reference to a movie icon that ends the film, the filmmaker adds an element of cheekiness that bring a chuckle. While some of the characters' quirks, like Kayal's North Indian manager's habit of using the wrong Tamil word, wear off soon, some remain delightful - like Kayal's sister-in-law, whose solution to every problem is proposing to run over a person with a lorry; the actress who plays this role is a hoot!

In fact, the cast delivers fine performances all around. Keerthy Suresh brings the right amount of star wattage and naiveté to make Kayal and her problems relatable but never overbearing. Even when she has to utter a potent line that sums up the film's intentions - "Dhideer nu vandha thinippu... kaalam kaalamaga nadandha kalachaaram" - she delivers it in a way that feels like a character's outburst and not a sermon. With a hint of early Prakash Raj, Ravindra Vijay makes for a perfect foil for her; look-wise, he nails the young man of that time.

And despite roles that feel slightly underwritten, MS Baaskar and Devadarshni add some heft to them with their stature. Even Anand Sami, as the film's other antagonist, Rangu, makes an impression, despite the writing failing to utilise the potential to turn this character into a formidable threat, especially given the screen time it gives him.

But the film's biggest charm is the light touch that Suman brings to a premise that could have easily become a heavy-duty drama. Part of the credit for this should also go to his composer Sean Roldan, whose jaunty score helps the director present even something as tragic as cancer with complete insouciance.