Why we need more Paava Kadhaigal
Paava Kadhaigal offers a peek at the horrors that humans are capable of inflicting on others in the name of honour. And experiences like this would surely make us more empathetic to the sufferings of others. December 20, 2020 5:05:11 pm
Paava Kadhaigal is streaming on Netflix.
We have to thank Vetri Maaran for steering his producers and colleagues towards making an anthology movie chronicling the sins that people commit in the name of honour. If not for him, we may have ended up with four romantic tales, instead of four gut-wrenching stories that are timely and relevant.
In Netflix s Paava Kadhaigal, Tamil cinema s four exceptionally talented directors deftly tackle themes of honor and pride in a patriarchal society. The anthology may not be an easy watch, but it has breathtaking moments, strong writing, and outstanding performances. Dec 20, 2020 By Sreejith Mullappilly
Short stories usually do not have enough time to establish a deep connection with the audience and then stir our emotions. However, Netflix s new anthology entitled Paava Kadhaigal is an exception to that. Each short in this new anthology runs about 30 minutes, and it has many moments that take our breath away.
Paava Kadhaigal means Sin Stories, and each short tale here is about the sins that members of a patriarchal society commit. The honor and pride of people with different genders are questioned time and again here. In one short named Vaanmagal , a father wonders whether he has failed to protect his daughter s dignity. Whereas, another fathe
Paava Kadhaigal Review: Hard-To-Watch But Compelling Quartet Of Classily-Crafted Tales
Paava Kadhaigal Review: Hard-To-Watch But Compelling Quartet Of Classily-Crafted Tales
Paava Kadhaigal Review: The actors are in prime form and the abridged narrative format gives them, and the directors, the scope to create sharply chiselled, dire, disconcerting portraits of putrid patriarchy. Paava Kadhaigal Review: A still from the anthology. (courtesy YouTube)
Cast: Prakash Raj, Kalki Koechlin, Kalidas Jayaram, Shanthnu Bhagyaraj, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Sai Pallavi, Anjali, Simran, Adithya Bhaskar
Director: Sudha Kongara, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vignesh Shivan, Vetrimaaran
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
The idea of the family as a safe space is hurled out the window in
Minor spoilers ahead
What is sin? Who is the sinner? these are two fundamental questions that Paava Kadhaigal, Netflix’s Tamil edition of
Lust Stories, endeavours to answer. The title, which translates to stories of sin would have us believe that this is about deviants and the society they are in. In actuality though, the anthology is more about the violence of the norm, and who gains from perpetuating it.
In Sudha Kongara’s film
Thangam, a thug asks, “Why does he keep strutting around like a girl?” about Sattar, a transwoman. Without batting an eyelid, Saravanan responds, “Does he ask why we horse around like men?”
4-MIN READ
Paava Kadhaigal Review: Stories of Sin Traverse a Boringly Beaten Path
Movies and the media have often gone to town with these kinds of stories, and Paava Kadhaigal offers nothing different not even a few add-ons!
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Directors: Sudha Kongara, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vignesh Shivan, Vetrimaaran
Cast: Kalidas Jayaram, Shanthnu Bhagyaraj, Bhavani Sre, (Kongara s Thangam), Simran, Gautham Vasudev Menon (Menon s Vaanmagal), Kalki Koechlin, Anjali (Shivan s Love Panna Uttranum), Sai Pallavi, Prakash Raj (Vetrimaaran s Ooru Iravu)
Netflix s Paava Kadhaigal (Sinful Stories), an anthology of four episodes comes a couple of months after Amazon Prime had played Putham Pudhu Kaalai, with its five short stories. While the two series dealt with different aspects of life – Paava Kadhaigal is about sin and the sordid, Putham Pudhu Kaalai was about life and living. Sudha Kongara and Gautham Vasudev Menon feature in both anthologies.