Arthanari

8/22/2016

The first thing that strikes you about Arthanaari is its TV serial-like production values. There are films that have a scrappy feel about them because of their low budget, but this one doesn't really feel entirely shoddy. Rather the filmmaking aesthetics give the impression of a visual style that is commonly found in out TV series — point-and-shoot framings where the characters are in the centre of the frames, shots of characters talking directly looking at the screen, expository voice overs, cutting to reaction shots every time something 'important' happens or is said and so on. This and the manner in which the film begins — with the rescue operation of a kidnapped girl — instantly tell us what kind of film we are in. We see how Sathya (Arundhathi, who seems equally comfortable buttoni