Thanga meengal review

Rating: ★★★★☆

Cast: Ram, Sadhana, Rohini, Padmapriya, Shelli Kishore
Direction: Ram
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Production: Gautham Menon, Reshma Ghatala, Venkat Somasundaram

Plot: Ram’s ‘Thanga Meenal’ is not your ordinary Tamil film that comes week after week. It’s a rare children’s film that rises to live up to its purpose while stumbling along the way. Despite being overly sentimental and bravely taking a dig at primary school education system and a few other things, ‘Thanga Meengal’ is a coming-of-age story of an unfit father struggling to make ends meet, told through the eyes of his eight-year old daughter.

The story is set in a small town near Nagercoil. Kalyani (Ram) and his wife Vadivu (Shelli Kishore) have an eight years old child Chellamma (Sadhana). They live as a joint family with Ram’s father (Ramu of Poo fame) and mother (Rohini).

Kalyani struggles to manage the economics of bringing up his daughter. Though Kalyani’s father is ready to help, his self respect prevents him from getting such help. The father and daughter are separated and they feel the pain in each and every moment. The father comes back just before her agony reaches its unimaginable end.

Review: 

Though a sentimental ride, it hits the right chords at times and significantly talks about a modern day issues. A lot has been written and said about the present day education system.

The problem with the story is that some of the sentimental scenes go overboard, the overdoing reduces the impact. The way the problems of the child and father are portrayed lacks balance in many place. The slow pace also would test patience for some.

Ram is known for his touchy narrative touching upon current issues. If his debut film Katradhu Tamizh was about the hardships faced by students who opted for Tamil as their core subject or language of instruction, ‘Thanga Meenkal’ dwells on the father-daughter relationship and the state of modern day education/system.

Ram has deftly handled the relationships in general and the special relationship between the father and daughter. He has made strong statements towards the so called modern education system.