Two movies. Two different directors. Directed by women directors, Madhumita (K.D. engira Karuppu Durai) and Halitha Shameem (Sillu Karupatti). Released in a space of a month. Both the directors clear on what they wanted to say, and had given us two beautiful movies on human connection and love. Directed with grace and elegance, strong writing, and a fantastic performance from the cast.

Official Trailer: Sillu Karupatti

Sillu Karupatti is an anthology film, with four stories, Pink bag, Kakka Kadi, Turtle Walk, and Hey Ammu, all about human connection, different age groups. All the four stories worked for me, but my favorite is Hey Ammu, found that one to be more grounded and had great performance by Samuthirakani and Sunaina. What strikes you in the movie is how Halitha Shameem has handled topics which are considered taboo by society. Most of the Kollywood movies either shy away from those topics or handle them insensitively. Try this: can you say testicular cancer, sperm sample, wi-fi, porn movies, favorite porn actors, in one sentence without mumbling or drowning the words? Without getting your tongue tied? How about this one, Amuthini from Hey Ammu longing for meaningful sex, not monotonous sex to fall asleep, which she calls thookkamathirai sex (sleeping pill sex)? Halitha Shameem handles these topics by weaving them in to the story seamlessly such that they don’t shock you and feel so normal. Each story impressed me differently. In Pink bag I loved the way the director narrated the steps taken by a poor boy to handover the ring to the rich girl who lost it. When you are separated by class divide that wide, even getting a lost item to the rightful owner is not straight forward. Kakka Kadi by its freshness, how ride share connects people, matter of fact approach to taboo subjects. Turtle Walk, for showing it is only natural for aged people to have desires, similar to turtles which mate after crossing 50 years of age. Turn Black Mirror on its head, you get Hey Ammu, where technology plays a key role, a happy one, to break the monotony in Sunaina’s married life. And then there are Easter eggs, characters from one story make fleeting appearances in other stories. They are not connected in anyways but I guess it is the director’s way of telling us they are in the same universe, if they can find love, you can too.

Official Trailer: K.D.

What if two orphans meet? One aged and another young? Old man’s grown up children want him dead. Little boy was left at the temple premise, where he lives, when he was two days old and is being brought up by a man who helps the priest at the temple. This is what life has dealt them. What do they make out of it? What could have been a tear jerker and melodrama end up as a heartwarming joy ride that celebrates love and life in K.D. engira Karuppudurai. Rather than worrying they got lemons, they go on to make one of the best lemonades.Boy helps the old man to tick mark his bucket list. The list itself brings you smile for its variety like eating biryani, watch MGR movie, act like Rajni and MGR, act in a movie, meet his first love Valli, wear a coat, travel in AC train, smoke a cigar, etc. Their life is full of chances but thanks to the effort that has gone in to writing, they are well built in to the story. A breakdown leads the old man to the temple and to the boy. A chance meet with production manager in Kutralam leads to tick mark act in a movie entry in bucket list later in the story. Getting the boy to school is well staged and interwoven in to the story from early on. Notice the way how Valli segment is effectively used to convince the old man that boy’s life is in the future and he has to let go of the boy for his education. Loved the way Valli convinces the old man, koodave irukkarathu mattume illa Durai, namakku viruppamanavanga nalla irukkanumna vilagi irukkarathum anbu thaan (rough translation: not just being together, sometimes staying away for wellbeing of our dear ones is also love). Notice how this is staged as a conversation than as a monologue. Death that unites the old man with the boy is movingly linked with the dead man act in movie that makes the boy realize separation is part of life and he has to let go of old man for his education.

Both the movies tell us there are no big miracles. Life will be bitter. What makes it bearable and sweet is love and human connection.