A trying & testing rom-com

Poda Podi
Tamil (U)
Cast: Silambarasan,
Varalaxmi Sharatkumar,
VTV Ganesh, Shobana
Director: Vignesh Shivan

Billed as a romantic comedy, Poda Podi flatters to deceive. It doesn’t tickle the funny bone either. Instead, Poda Podi pricks your patience.

Director Vignesh Shivan flogs a dead horse as he deals with marital relationships — wife’s career ambitions and hubby’s hackneyed belief that her rightful place is beside him and the hearth — rendering the film an enervating experience.

Animation designer Arjun is a thoroughbred Tamilian and traditionalist who believes that Nisha, a salsa dancer, with eyes set on Letz Dance competition, should sacrifice her dreams and placate his chauvinistic ego.

Whether Nisha walks out — like Ibsen’s Nora — of a shackling home to achieve her ambitions or Arjun has his way, forms the pivot of Poda Podi.

While Silambarasan is as lively as a lifeless lamb, Varalaxmi lives up to her debutant billing, though she needs to work on her dialogue delivery and emoting.

Despite Duncan Telford’s picturesque cinematography and Anthony’s slick editing, Poda Podi fails.

Either suffer or say ‘poda’ and scurry to the nearest exit.