Lubber Pandhu

Lubber Pandhu (Transl. Rubber Ball) is a drama about egos set against a backdrop of cricket in a villaga in tamilnadu. The story revolves around Anbu and Poomalai aka Gethu, played brilliantly by Harish Kalyan and Attakathi Dinesh respectively, and their egos of never losing a cricket game and all the complexities this behavior brings with it. I was never really a fan of Dinesh's acting, but he was a surprise package in this movie. More than these two, the female leads Swasika and Sanjana Krishnamutrhy stole the show with their presence.

The film deals with a lot of human emotions, caste based discrimination without being overly melodramatic or preachy. It is these kinds of movies that remind you that despite having big action set pieces in big budget pan India movies, it is human emotions that matter in a story. This movie offers plenty of those moments. Be it a relationship between two teenagers who are in love, a wife and a husband, a mother and a son, a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, or a pet and its owner. These subtle emotions are visualized beautifully.

This is a sports drama, and the editing and cinematography hit it out of the park to draw us in when the characters are playing cricket. You won't get the same goosebumps inducing feeling you get when watching Lagaan, but instead the sport is staged to bring you closer to the characters. One thing I wished they spent a bit more time on was the sound design, especially during the cricket games. The production design is just right.

I recommend watching this movie if you want a nice departure from the high-octane action thrillers that have been fed us in the recent past. You won't be disappointed.

-CinephileIndia2023.

Anbu is a talented cricketer who aspires to join his favorite Jolly Friends team but is denied the chance because of his caste. Jolly Friends team captain Karuppaiya, joins Anbu to another team and they play against Sachin Boys which had the star batsman Gethu, who plays cricket by lying to his wife Yashodai. Anbu figures out Gethu is weak in off side. A decade later, Anbu is yet to be included in Jolly Friends team, gets to play against Gethu and succeeds in bowling him out. This leads to an ego clash between them and to make it worse, Anbu is in love with Gethu's daughter Durga. How does Anbu win over Gethu and convince Yashodai to allow him to marry Durga, forms rest of the story.

This adds to the list of films I regret missing out in theater. The debutante writer-director Tamizharasan Pachamuthu impresses big time by keeping the story grounded. Though the story revolves around Anbu and Gethu, it is the supporting cast that gets to shine big time. The film begins with Anbu being denied the opportunity to join Jolly Friends and team, this remains the main plot and the way the director circled back to it in the end, though convenient, leaves a positive impact. The scenes involving Yashodai and her mother-in-law followed Yashodai and Gethu were indeed the highlight. This was melodrama done right. With the right casting and a tight screenplay, Lubber Pandhu turns out to be a solid watch and a must watch film.

The film sounds like a mix of sports and drama with a strong focus on its main characters, Gethu and Anbu, who share a passion for cricket. It's interesting to see how the movie uses cricket as a medium to build the intense drama and emotions that keep the story engaging, even though the cricketing shots themselves could have been better executed.

The love story, while feeling somewhat forced, seems to add depth to Anbu and Gethu's relationship, making their bond stronger and more relatable. This approach, though common, can be effective in connecting the audience emotionally with the characters. The film's "entertainment spices" probably make it enjoyable despite some technical shortcomings in the sports scenes.

Overall, Lubber Pandhu is an engaging watch with a good balance of emotions, character depth, and entertainment value, making up for its minor flaws. It seems like the movie succeeds in delivering a memorable viewing experience.

The story is all about two talented cricketers, Gethu, a family man and Anbu, a happy go lucky guy. How they land in an egoistic situation and what happens to them and people around them forms the crux of the story, layered with many beautiful sub plots and interesting characters with many light hearted and rib tickling comedy through out the movie. Attakathi Dinesh as Gethu and Harish Kalyan as Anbu are the main anchors of the movie! Supporting characters by Sanjana, Swasika, Kali Venkat, Bala Saravanan are memorable! Music by Sean Rolden is heart warming. Cinematography and other technical departments are tout and solid. The movie is a full package of fun, emotion, drama, sports, and politics of caste. Also, the movie rubs the second half curse of Kollywood movies. One of the best Tamil movie of 2024. Has no intimate scenes or double meaning jokes! Highly recommended to watch with your family!

What a movie!! This is easily one of my favorite of the year, Tamil or not. I can already picture references from this film playing out at the Chepauk in the IPL in a few months time.

Tough to make a movie about cricket and make it different, especially since Blue Star released not too long ago. Tough to make the messaging subtle, but retain the importance. We've seen the family drama and the love-angle plot several times over the years. But regardless of all that, these guys managed to make the film look and feel very 'fresh'.

If you haven't watched this film yet, I'd very highly recommend.