Aruvi – A Team of Debutantes Weave Magic

Walking out of Aruvi, one experiences a confusing mix of emotions – sadness at the tragic end to the movie, yet hope that even the worst of endings have a silver lining, anger at all the social evils that Aruvi was subjected to and yet closure that she made her peace with those who wronged her. Much like its name, Aruvi is one of those movies that takes you on a wild cascade of emotions from start to finish and leaves you with a feeling of complete wonder at the end.

Without giving away any spoilers, the plot of Aruvi focuses on the social injustices that befall a 24-year-old woman named Aruvi and how she chooses to deal with the repercussions. The film begins on a very serious note with several split shots showing convicts being interrogated and Aruvi herself under questioning by the Police for her involvement in a hostage crisis. But before viewers can discern the meaning of this crisis, we are shown a beautiful montage of a baby Aruvi growing up in the beautiful countryside with a doting family to the tunes of the hauntingly beautiful Kukkotti Kunaati. The jump between timelines and scenes works impeccably and leaves viewers on their toes, forcing them to make all the connections themselves rather than laying it all out. Predictability is often my biggest complaint with Tamil Cinema, but debutante director Arun Prabhu has woven a simple story into a completely unpredictable web of events that unravels throughout a brilliantly narrated movie.

Make no mistake, Aruvi deals with a tragically serious subject matter but the director still manages to present the movie on a lighthearted note without dressing it up excessively for audiences. This contrast is further felt as we progress into the second half of the movie and a hostage crisis unfolds – yet the audience is left in constant fits of laughter from the various characters involved and their quirks and antics.

A few lines in this review will not do justice to Aditi Balan’s performance as Aruvi. Her handling of an immensely complicated character in scenes that would put veteran actors to test are beyond amazing. For a debutant to pull off a role this heavy and stigmatized is just a display of her sheer raw talent and commitment to cinema. For the sake of Tamil Cinema, I hope she continues to do many more such meaningful roles in the industry. Special props to the writers for fully utilizing the supporting cast and giving them each unique traits and characters. Be it the cameraman who yells Rollllinngg Sirrr or the tea boy who has a fondness for bottled beer, all of them stay fresh in memory for days after the movie. The fact that most of the supporting cast are also debutantes makes the movie even more impressive!