Review of the movie Minmini: Halitha Shameem’s film presents a really lovely image, yet it falls flat compared to some of her previous works.
Director Halitha Shameem is well-known for her poignant plays, such as Aelay, Sillu Karupatti, and Poovarasan Peepee. She has returned with Minmini, which was shot over eight years to match the development of her youthful on-screen personas.
The plot
When Minmini starts in a residential school in Ooty (cold climes), we meet two young boys who are in the same class: Pari (Gaurav Kaalai), a prominent football player, and Sabari (Praveen Kishore), a new student who loves chess and is a talented artist. As the weeks go by, they both become well-known, and a rivalry grows between them. The answers that Sabari and Pari provide when a teacher asks the class what they want to accomplish in life demonstrate how different from one another they are. The tone of the story suddenly shifts after a horrific school bus accident in which some pupils escape. In the second part, we meet Praveena (Esther Anil), who eventually enrolls in their school and meets Sabari by coincidence while riding a bike in the Himalayas.
The entire story focuses on Pari, Sabari, and Praveena. The filmmaker has split the movie into two parts, one of which takes place at a school and the other in the heart of the Himalayas. Shameem puts us on the path of self-discovery that the Sabari and Praveena go through in order to reunite. She attempts to portray in her drama the suffering that those who are living and have lost someone go through, but the major topic is survivor’s guilt. So, does it work?
A different attempt
Minmini is an interesting effort at a Tamil film, and credit should go to Halitha Shameem for attempting to introduce the audience to a fresh concept. It’s also admirable that she spent eight years filming this movie in order to be faithful to her three actors and their development as characters. That being said, there is a slight annoyance when the film becomes overly cerebral. Lovely mountain views and talks between a young couple about life, following one’s passion, and other topics are really corny and superficial.
Take a look at this: while discussing life after death, Sabari and Praveen gaze up at the night sky. They are just engaging in activities that are featured on all travel websites, such as mountain riding, sipping butter tea, going to local celebrations, etc., in the Himalayas. Many young people today go on solitary journeys to “discover meaning in life,” and Shameem’s characters frequently utter lines that seem like they belong in a self-help book. The film has further logical errors, which further undermines the credibility of the concept.
How is a girl who received an organ transplant, for example, living a happy life everywhere she goes? It’s also astonishing that Sabari can operate regularly in society considering that someone who has been depressed for years cannot. Indeed, a few of the sequences might have been written and filmed more skillfully. The bus crash scene, for instance, may have been captured more skillfully. Additionally, the mother’s overly dramatic response, reminiscent of one from a Tamil TV serial, occurs when Praveena tells her mother that she wants to do something for Pari.
The performances
Praveena, played by Esther Anil, has a strong impression, although at certain instances, Praveen Kishore seems uncomfortable. Naturally, the three main characters’ inconsistent performances may also be attributed to their youth and inexperience. Technically speaking, Manoj Paramahamsa’s cinematography is stunning, and the BGM by AR Rahman’s daughter Khatija, who is directing music for the first time, is also noteworthy. Khatija Rahman’s score significantly enhances the movie, and her use of orchestral instruments and instruments conveys her father’s musical influence. The BGM, however, may occasionally be overpowering and detract from the story.
Although Minmini creates a really lovely picture, it falls flat, unlike some of her other movies. Halitha Shameem has attempted to take us on a journey with her characters, but the purpose of the voyage gets lost somewhere in the process.
