SP Jananathan’s film packs more figures and data than interesting visuals
“Agriculture will not die. I have come to farm.” Pakiri (Vijay Sethupathi) says this with great confidence as he enters Peruvayal, a village he left a few years ago to go on a world tour.
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looks like pakiri Fakir, disorganized and spotless, but he is still considered a hero in commercial Tamil cinema. And so, within minutes of seeing him on the big screen, we see him engaging in a pointlessly-detailed fight sequence and impromptu dance track.
Did we just say ‘vain’? Oh no, during this 2 hour 39 minute social studies lecture against the dangers of capitalism, we’re about to be bombarded with a lot of points. With so many figures in there, one factor that might have made director AR Murugadoss happy (remember Raman?)
labami Inevitably Vijay Sethupathi is endorsing the cause of agriculture – more specifically, collective farming practices – but it requires a villain, and he comes in the form of Vanagamudi (Jagapati Babu). He wants to be in charge of the local farmers’ union and control the methods and costs of farming, but he has to come face-to-face with Pakiri, posted as the leader of the people, to do so. Will he be successful?
labami
- Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu
- Director: SP Jananathan
- Story: A man wants to change the lives of farmers in his village
The intention behind the film is noble no doubt (the brainchild of late director SP Jhannathan, the man behind films like) ayyarkai And I) But the handwriting is as barren as the fields depicted in it, which have not seen a hint of green in the past few decades. Case in point: Pakiri and the team have a hard time convincing the villagers of their grand plan, and so rope in a dancer named Clara (Shruti Haasan) to help them, and the scenes that follow are ridiculous.
in the second half, labami Gets a slightly different texture, Pakiri leaves his home ground and gets on the run. You might think something is brewing, but soon the all-too-familiar corporate greed versus farming methods angle creeps in, and we’re subject to lengthy lectures on sugar production, cotton sales, and proper agricultural practices.
And what is Vijay Sethupathi doing amidst all this, riding around a bullet bearing the registration number, TMX 4777, the same as the matinee idol MGR’s ambassador car?
labami A visual representation of the protagonist in a television program is more (Namma Uru Hero, which celebrates everyday heroes in different realms) than a film.
Labam is playing in theaters now
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