Oru Pakka Kathai

Balaji Tharaneetharan's long-delayed film is one that's funny, progressive, and a bit of a drag in the last act. The first half is where the humourist in Balaji's at work: the comedic quotient here is almost as much as the intrigue. As a film that was made many years ago, it still holds relevance and rides the liberal wave. Kalidas Jayaram and Megha Akash perform sufficiently well in their roles. But it's a director's film and his stamp is all over the place. Like in NKPK (Balaji's debut directorial) and Seethakaathi, the world-building is detailed and fantastically done. We have parents concerned about what their kids have been up to, we have disapproving gynaecologists, we have a subplot in which a kid believes he's godsent, and we have godmen who are good at twisting stories into superstitions.

Where Oru Pakka Katha loses some of its steam is in the latter half. The core plot shifts from "a pregnancy before marriage" to "a child of God" and all the media baggage that comes with it. This social commentary is solid enough but it lacks the zing and the spontaneity of the first half. Scenes play out slower, the humour is absent, the drama is amplified and the ending is slightly message-heavy. Even with all its flaws, Oru Pakka Kathai is worth a watch, especially for its bizarrely original plot, quirky humour, and believable performances. Also, Govind Vasantha's music punctuates the film quite nicely.