SunnyBMS

This feels like a movie about previlage where one western/white family (who is apparently broke to begin with as they show them discussing bad financial situation in the beginning) takes a vacation to a Thai resort, get hit by a massive tsunami and then in the end get a huge PRIVATE jet (assuming insurance with their governments help?) to fly the sick heroine to the best hospital in all of Asia located in Singapore, with just this ONE family in the entire HUGE aeroplane, while millions of other under previlaged tourists and locals are dying and rotting. I really hope this is not entirely a true story because it's sickening to watch the selective entitlement and previlage bestowed only to certain group. While I am glad the female protoganist got help, its almost leaves you with a bad taste with overly dramatic heroism depection. The real heroes are the ones that rescued them but the focus is entirely on the heroine and her superhero son. Only saving grace is that the oldest boy did a great job with his acting ( they almost made this boy look like a super hero, over the top but that's not his fault) and Niomi Watts is a pleasure to watch, good actress. Over all a BAD movie that failed to capture the overall emotions and damage suffered by millions during this unprecedented natural disaster. Do yourself a favor and watch a documentary instead, if you are interested to learn or just see the tsunami and how it affected people. This movie is more geared to immature audience that get inspired and awed by heros.

P.S I am not saying the main characters were not heroic in real life, I don't even know how much is true. My review is about the movie itself and the angle it took and not the real family involved. I am sure they deserved to be saved like everybody else deserved too.

A lot of Balachader's movies broke stereotypes and much ahead of it's times. This is a very unconventional and shocking story of a daughter in a Brahmin family secretely turning to a prostitute to feed her large family. The mom keeps having children they can't afford to feed, there is a social message there. I don't understand some of the criticisms about portraying a Brahmin prostitute... why not! The point is that this girl was willing to do what it took to take care of the family and the fact that she's from a Brahmin family and her dad was a priest only drives the nail harder. It shows the guts this initially careless and naive young girl had, to do to what she had to do, given the horrible circumstances she was put through and sacrifice she made for the family that did not do anything in return. A very powerful story, wonderful direction and a very strong storyline with no frills makes this movie a powerful gut wrenching, poignant classic. Movies such as this are hard to come by, especially in the these times of unrealistic Hollywood and Bollywood movies made to appeal the masses. The fact that a storyline like Arangetram was not only conceived but turned into a successful movie shows what a truly great director K. Balachander was.