<p>Poda Podi<br />Tamil (U)<br />Cast: Silambarasan,<br />Varalaxmi Sharatkumar,<br />VTV Ganesh, Shobana<br />Director: Vignesh Shivan<br /><br />Billed as a romantic comedy, Poda Podi flatters to deceive. It doesn’t tickle the funny bone either. Instead, Poda Podi pricks your patience. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Despite Duncan Telford’s picturesque cinematography and Anthony’s slick editing, Poda Podi fails. <br /><br />Either suffer or say ‘poda’ and scurry to the nearest exit.</p>
<p>Poda Podi<br />Tamil (U)<br />Cast: Silambarasan,<br />Varalaxmi Sharatkumar,<br />VTV Ganesh, Shobana<br />Director: Vignesh Shivan<br /><br />Billed as a romantic comedy, Poda Podi flatters to deceive. It doesn’t tickle the funny bone either. Instead, Poda Podi pricks your patience. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Despite Duncan Telford’s picturesque cinematography and Anthony’s slick editing, Poda Podi fails. <br /><br />Either suffer or say ‘poda’ and scurry to the nearest exit.</p>
