Angaadi Theru

At last a meaningful movie in this year! Amidst all the love stories and fight flicks, here comes a movie that hits a common man in the face with the harsh realities that showcases not so rosier side of life. The third venture of the director Vasanthabalan is absolutely fantastic. I was just hoping that he does not end the movie in the somber note as in ‘Veyil’. I sort of like the ending of the movie. I don’t know how this movie is doing at the box-office. Usually meaningful movies don’t make it good at the box-office - I wish this movie runs to packed houses.


The director makes sure that this does not end up as just another love story. There are so-many tragedies in life and Avvai says “kodumaiyil kodumail illamaiyil varumai”. That’s what comes to my mind when I saw the movie -the plight of youngsters toiling their lives at such super shopping ‘stores’.

When we used to go shopping with my dad and we stay on till late into the night, my dad has often said this – “poor guys! They must’ve been standing the whole day”. I am sure everybody who has visited Singara Chennai would not have gone back without visiting the famous Ranganathan Street – the angaadi theru shown in the movie. That brings me to another matter that I will write about in a fresh topic – of how we have transformed from shopping for necessity to compulsive shoppers. But coming back to angaadi theru, how many times have we felt irritated when the already tired sales boy/girl doesn’t respond to us and how royally we feel that they are bound to serve upon our command!

If the regular compulsive shopper changes his tone from a command to a request to a sales boy/girl the next time he is bitten by the shopping bug, this film has succeeded.

I would rate this move at 4.5/5.0 – doesn’t need a mass hero for this!