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Amirtham
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'Amirtham' Delectable

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

‘Amritham’ is an appetizing fare from award winning writer 'Vedam Puthusu' Kannan. Incidentally, it is his maiden directorial effort too.

Well, Kannan has not disappointed his countless fans. It is a slickly made movie which appeals to the aesthete as well as the lowest common denominator. It has a freshness that appeals to the audience.

What

adds to its allure is that the star cast consisting of Girish Karnad, Anuradha Krishnamoorthy and Ganesh. Navya Nair has done an excellent job.

‘Amritham’ chronicles with telling effect the confrontation between the believer and a rationalist. The protagonists are a temple priest (Girish Karnad) who is held in high esteem by the villagers and a rationalist youngman (Ganesh). Caught in the crossfire is the priest's lovely daughter Amritha (Navya Nair).

Such is the stature of the chief priest of the Sri Rangam temple in Tamil Nadu that even the Governor of Goa (Subbalekha Sudhakar) comes all the way to the nondescript village to pay his respects to the learned man.

Amritha falls for the rationalist youth Ganesh (Ganesh), who is the son of nadaswaram maestro (Rajiv). The youth does not believe in the existence of god. Amritha loves him despite this.

The village hogs limelight all of a sudden with the sudden discovery of petrol there. The government wants to evict the villagers and demolish the temple too.

The horrified priest vehemently opposes the eviction move. And he is supported, surprisingly, by the rationalist youth. What follows is a thrilling climax preceded by a lot of violence on the hapless villagers.

Veteran Girish Karnad plays the temple priest's role with great aplomb expected of an artist of his seniority. Kerala-born Navya Nair proves that she is a consummate artiste with another polished performance. Newcomer Ganesh is passable.

Kanna's screenplay is powerful. But the narration is marred by the painfully slow pace. A major plus point of the film is the melodious music by Bhavatharini who has come out with a number of classical-based tunes. “Sri Ranganatha”, rendered by Ilayaraja, is the pick of the album.

Full credit must go to Kannan for making a film free from the usual masala mix. ‘Amritham’ is delectable. It is a welcome change for the eye sore from watching the usual unappetizing flicks churned out by the Kollywood craftsmen.

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