Panivizhum Malarvanam (2014)

Pani Vizhum Malarvanam, which starts off on a romantic note with the young couple's first meeting on a social networking site, looks to first develop into a full-blown family drama with the parents of both lovers issuing threats and picking fights. After a point, it changes tracks and raises hopes of becoming a crime thriller when the couple encounters three poachers who look to rob them and outrage Kavya's modesty. From there, the plot takes a wild turn, to give audiences an impression that the film might be on man-animal conflict. It finally ends tamely as a didactic, sentimental drama. Director David tries to convey too many ideas in his first film and as a result, ends up losing the audiences' interest right in the first half when he's saved his best for the next. His relatively inexperienced lead pair also don't seem to help his cause as they struggle to strike a chord with the audience. While the cinematographer and music director seem to have done their jobs reasonably well, the work of the film's casting, dialogues, CG and editing departments leave a lot to be desired. The movie is not without its strengths though. Varsha Ashwathi, who plays the mother of an ill child, and Master Sai Vishal, who plays her child, impress with their performances. Thanks to them, the second half of the film, which focuses on a conflict between humans and a man-eater (a tiger) , seems a lot more cohesive and purposeful than the first. Director David's film, apart from telling a love story, stresses on the fact that the love of a mother for her child is supreme and looks to highlight the conflicts arising as a result of humans encroaching upon the space of wild animals. To cut a long story short, while the messages David's film seeks to convey are significant, the manner in which they have been packaged isn't.