What Is the Story About?
Putham Puthu Kaalai: Vidyaadha is a 5-part anthology series set in various parts of Tamil Nadu, during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. This feel good web series shows how different people were affected during the second lockdown and gives us a glimpse through these short stories.
Performances?
A 5-part anthology series such as Putham Puthu Kaalai: Vidyaadha requires some brilliant acting – and brilliant acting we got. The stand out actors in this web series are Lijo Mol Jose, Arjun Das, Joju George, Nadia Moidu, Dhilip Subbarayan and Aishwarya Lekshmi. Tejeenthan Arunasalam & Gouri Kishan from episode one and Sananth from episode three, all do a good job as well. Lijo Mol Jose and Arjun Das are the focus of the second episode and they have good onscreen chemistry. Joju George and Nadia Moidu are brilliant in the third episode; and the best part – they only say one word throughout the entire episode. The first and fourth episodes are decent, but the stories are better than the actors – except for Dhilip Subbarayan who gives a surprisingly good performance. The last episode focuses fully on Aishwarya Lekshmi’s character and of course, she delivers in spades.
Analysis
As it is mentioned earlier, Putham Puthu Kaalai: Vidyaadha is a 5-episode anthology series that is set in Tamil Nadu during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Each story is unique and gripping, while remaining relatable and light-hearted at the same time. The title of each episode plays a huge part in it – be it literally or metaphorically.
The first story is titled “Mugakavasa Mutham” AKA “Kiss Over The Mask”. This episode follows two police constables, Murugan and Kuyili, who like each other. They regularly meet at their posting where they turn back drivers and pedestrians regularly. Murugan flirts with Kuyili, while she reciprocates by bringing him lunch. However, one day when Kuyili’s posting gets changed to another location – they both feel dejected. However, opportunity knocks when a young man, Lokesh, comes asking for their help – to help his girlfriend, Manasa, get out of the forced arranged marriage. The story ends with the cops helping Manasa run away with Lokesh and Kuyili kissing Murugan over their masks. This story is short, cute, funny and exciting – it reminds us of first love. However, there are a couple of problems with this episode. A couple of guys talk quite rudely to the pair of male constables – and our episode lead lets them do so and then goes on an overly preachy rant. Sure, they are cops and they will be preachy while telling people to stick to lockdown protocols. But no cop will let two guys go after being disrespected the way they were in this episode. That is a minor plot hole right there.
The second episode is called “Loners”. As the episode suggests, it follows a loner, Nallathangal or Nalla for short. She recently broke up with her boyfriend during the lockdown and she is now stuck indoors, inside her apartment. From what we can see, she is a more extroverted person who is forced to be indoors. She joins an online video room called “Loners in Lockdown” and meets a person, Dheeran, who she had met previously in a wedding video room. Dheeran’s friend passed away recently due to the Covid-19 virus and they both bond over their broken hearts. While this episode is preachy, it is a little closer to social preaching and it is quite clever in delivering said preaching. The interaction between Nalla and Dheeran is brilliant and both actors do a spectacular job.
The third episode is called “Mouname Paarvayaai” AKA “Words Left Unsaid”. This story focuses on an older couple Murali and Yashoda, portrayed by Joju George and Nadia Moidu respectively. Both husband and wife don’t talk to each other after a major fight that happened between them a while back. However, when Yashoda gets very sick – Murali has to step up and take care of her. The brilliance of this episode is that no word is uttered throughout by both characters (Except for “Kapi?”, “Coffee” at the very end). It seems words are not necessary for these acting heavyweights who seem to be excellent at expressing their words through normal everyday actions and facial expressions.
The fourth episode is called “The Mask”. It is based on a prototypical IT professional, Arjun, who has a very heavy secret – he is gay. With Arjun not being comfortable about coming out to his parents; his partner, Paul, gets fed up and walks away from the relationship. However, once he meets an old friend, Velu, he gets a different perspective. He finally learns to uncover his “mask”. While this story has quite a coincidence (for Velu to call Arjun) and a slightly convenient ending – the conversation between Velu and Arjun becomes surprisingly deep. And the actor who plays Velu, Dhilip Subbarayan, deserves a mention for his onscreen performance. Also, the fourth wall breaks are not consistent – some of them fit the narrative, while some do not.
The final episode is called “Nizhal Tharum Idham” AKA “Comforting Shadows”. This story follows a thirty-something woman, Shobi, who finds out that her dad died from a heart attack. We follow as she returns home and tries to come to terms with her father’s death as well as her mother’s death. She herself goes through an existential crisis, and finds a way to feel alive again while feeling maddening grief. And Shobi’s rollercoaster of emotions is brilliantly portrayed by Aishwarya Lekshmi. We are a little confused by the creepy background dancers, however. We are sure there is a good reason for it – but for the time being it escapes us.
All of the stories are worth a single time watch at least, but if you do not have time – then we recommend the third episode, “Mouname Paarvayaai”. It is a little slow, but definitely worth it.
All of the writers and directors have done a brilliant job and cinematographers deserve a mention as well. While the music in the series is not all that memorable – it is brilliant when it plays; it only plays during crucial points in each episode. The exploration of different concepts all based around the second wave of Covid-19 is quite interesting as well.
Overall, Putham Puthu Kaalai: Vidyaadha is a set of beautiful feel good stories that is worth a watch. The thirty-minute short episodes don’t require much time investment and each episode is different – meaning you do not need to binge.
Other Artists?
Kalloori Vinoth, Anbu Thasan and Saraswathi Menon from episode 1, Arun Kurian from episode 4 & Nirmal Pillai and Viji Chandrashekhar from episode 5 all deserve a mention in this category. Episodes 3 and 4 mainly focus on the main characters only, which is why there are other artists from those episodes here (However Dude the dog from episode two deserves a very special mention). Kalloori Vinoth keeps everything light-hearted, while Anbu and Saraswati pushes a side-love-story into the main story. Arun Kurian gets maybe a couple of minutes of screentime, but that is enough to assert himself in the fourth episode. Nirmal and Viji play important side characters for Aishwarya’s Shobi in the final episode.
Music and Other Departments?
As mentioned earlier, the music is not all that memorable – but when it does play, it works well. The direction, cinematography and editing teams have all done a pretty good job. The script writers deserve a lot of praise for these five feel good short stories – nearly all of them exploring the concept of loneliness in a unique way.
Highlights?
Acting
Feel Good Stories
Brilliant Contrasting Premises
Exploring The Concepts Of Friendships & Loneliness
Drawbacks?
Overly Preachy In The First Two Episodes
Minor Plot holes
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes. One of the few, very relatable series based on the current “Covid-19 climate”.
Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa Review by Binged Bureau
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