Film- Bujji at Anupatti
Director- Raam Kandasamy
Cast- Karthik Vijay, Pranithi Sivasankaran, Lavanya Kanmani, Kamal Kumar, Vaitheeswari, Vardarajan, Ramkumar, Meena.
Set in a rural milieu, the film follows the journey of siblings Saravanan and Durga, as they set out to find their missing goat. It depicts the various people they encounter and the perilous situations they go through during their journey.
The siblings, (Karthik, Pranithi), children of farm labourers, had brought home a goat they had rescued from a thorny bush. Durga names it Bujji ,she deeply attached to it. But one day when their drunk father sells it to a butcher, the duo with their new found friend Darshini ( Lavanya) embark on a journey to find it.
Child actors Karthik, Pranithi and Lavanya are naturals and essay their roles with conviction. Lavanya’s Darshini has an interesting character touch. An orphan working as a domestic help, the kind hearted girl rescues stray dogs and hands them over to an animal shelter home.
Though it travels on predictable lines, the screenplay is fairly neatly crafted, the narrative style simple. The director has managed to maintain a certain amount of suspense related to the fate of the goat as it shifts through various hands. Touched on are elements like kindness and compassion towards humans and animals; religious harmony, and resilience in the face of adversity. There is no forced in fights, or comedy. The characters of Shiva (Kamal) the farm owner, and Prabha a cop (Vaitheeswari), both on the track of the kids, could have been better integrated with the plot.
In a film meant for children, some moments strike a discordant note. Such as the one where the director in his enthusiasm to depict religious tolerance and harmony, has this scene, where the kids enter a church, is asked by a woman staff to remove the Hindu symbol on their forehead, the priest intervening and admonishing her. There is also the unwanted episode of a senior cop, a paedophile, who tries to take advantage of the helpless kids.
Despite its glitches, ‘Bujji At Anupatti’ (111 minutes), with its warm feel good flavour, could be an ideal fare for children.
Malini Mannath
Malini Mannath 