Baaram Movie Review: A Rare and Soul Touching Story in Tamil Cinema

Baaram is a must-watch for those who love award winning and soul touching movies:

Baaram movie will bring you out of the theater with a lot of Baaram in your heart. It is a touching story of killing an old father than spending money on his hip operation. In the process, the director brings to light the traditional practice of senicide or involuntary euthanasia.

Director Priya Krishnaswamy brings the evils of Thalaikoothal practice naturally even now in many rural parts of Tamil Nadu. It is the reason that Baaram won the best feature film Tamil in the 66 National Awards for the movies taken in the year 2018.

Vetrimaran has helped in releasing this movie after nearly two years of its completion and premiered in the IIFI 2018 in Goa. Critics acclaim the film, which brings the hardships of an older man suffering from a broken hip and no one to take care of him. The ironic truth is, it could happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere in this fast world. And naturally, watching the movie, it shakes the conscience of the audience.

R. Raju, not an experienced actor like all the other characters, brings in the best performance of an ailing older man called Karuppusamy. He also shows happiness with a lot of regrets about his past. His will to live on his own, working as a night watchman, is the base of the story. But With a sudden accident, the man's will get decimated, to even become a burden to all.

Su. Pa. Muthukumar playing the role of the cold-hearted son Senthil plays his part well of not like his father. He even goes to the extent of killing him with the traditional Thalaikoothal practice. And when confronted with the crime, he shows good acting to be not much affected by the questions that anyone will ask him. A few thousand rupees for the operation is too big even to kill his father is one question that the movie asks the audience.

Though the film won the best feature film Tamil, which was the only one for the Tamil film industry for 2018, it has some negatives also. The director Priya Krishanasamy has directed the movie with a lot of diligence.  She shows the emotional scenes from the view of the granddaughter and the nephews. But the reason for Senthil not like his father is not well said in the movie.

Also, of the other characters, there is no intense portrayal of purpose for their actions. The only one with all the reason is Karuppusamy, and after he dies, the movies become slow without nothing to expect from it. The investigation process, as anyone will know, is not going to yield any significant result as even the government is helpless in such traditional practices.

Baaram is sure a movie for those who love to watch award-winning films on the big screen.