Review of 5 Sundarikal (2013) by Akash S — 22 Oct 2014

An anthology of five unusual romance films was an interesting way to celebrate 100 Years of Indian Cinema. Other than the second story, none of the stories seemed clichéd or melodramatic. It's an interesting attempt.

Sethulakshmi - The first short film, and the best one.; it's an adaptation of a short story named 'Photo'. It stars two young talented kids, and the story is really heartbreaking and haunting. The story starts off quite cheerfully, but it leads to such horror. In a bird's eye view, it shows the plight of young girls everywhere. But the story is essentially about helplessness, and seems like an allegory on so many communities and kinds of people. The fear of being exposed of something small (which may not be even wrong) leads us to doing worse things (by feeling helpless about the situation), thinking there's no other way.

Isha - The cheesiest one among them. It's average.

Gowri - None of us can predict the future. One moment of pure joy and happiness can suddenly turn into a world of sadness and despair. It's simple and contemplative.

Kullande Bharya (The dwarf's wife) - It starts of quite 'Rear Window'-like, but it turned out to be an observation of pure love, and our human illness of prying into neighbours' (strangers') lives. It's an adaptation of a Chinese short story, 'The Tall Woman and Her Short Husband'. It was an interesting watch.

Aami - Perhaps, the second best story among the five. It's about love, adultery and guilt. Quite a thought-provoking tale about one's priorities.

Other than the second story, the overall acting was quite good.

'Sethulakshmi' will be the only story I'll remember and cherish, I guess. Others are quite forgettable.