Language: Tamil
HipHop Tamizha takes on a dual role for the first time in Aswin Raam’s debut directorial Anbarivu. He plays twin brothers named -- take a wild guess -- yes, Anbu and Arivu. But Tamil cinema is no stranger to family drama with estranged twins. From MGR’s Engal Veetu Pillai to Suriya’s Vel, several films have defined the formula for this ‘genre’. The twins are diametrically opposite in character. They most probably hate each other. At some point, they will switch places to ‘act’ like the other person. And of course, there’s a happy ending. It’s like how VS Raghavan hilariously observes in the Vadivelu-starrer, Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi (another estranged twins film), “Rettai kozhandhaigal pirandhu vittaal, thiraikadhiyil veru enna dhan seyya mudiyum? (if there are twins, what else can you do with the screenplay?”
Anbarivu attempts to match the lack of novelty in its narrative with its setting. The film is set in two fictional villages -- Arasapatti and Andipatti -- near Madurai. As the names suggest, Arasapatti (the land of kings) belongs to the privileged caste while Andipatti (the land of paupers) houses the oppressed. And power belonged to Arasapatti, or more specifically to Muniyandi’s (Napoleon) family. So when his sister Lakshmi decides to marry Prakasam (Saikumar) from Andipatti, Muniyandi is miffed. But he decides to be ‘gregarious’ and lets the couple marry. But there’s no respect. Even his wife Lakshmi seems to peg him like her father. Pasupathy (Vidhaarth), also from Andipatti, further fuels the hostility between the men. In the end, an infuriated Prakasam leaves with Baby Arivu, leaving his wife and Baby Anbu behind.
Anbarivu tries to question casteist practises but lacks the nuance and sophistication to make a compelling argument.
The word 'jaathi' (caste) comes just once in the film; on several occasions, it is referred to as 'kolgai' (idealogy). I am all for grey characters, but Anbarivu reserves it only for the villain Pasupathy. On the other hand, it makes teddy bears out of Muniyandi, Anbu, and Lakshmi, only mildly reprimanding them for all their problematic behaviour. Above all, the caste tussle is presented as a 'family problem'. The good Dalit Prakasam even ‘thanks’ Muniyandi for letting him marry Lakshmi, considering his ‘background’. People of Andipatti, who were repeatedly humiliated, are expected to forget all they faced instantaneously because Muniyandi realised his ‘folly’. Even in the end, in a ‘love conquers all’ moment, men from both villages share a gesture of honour at the village festival. Women, however, are excluded.
Anbarivu also suffers from issues of execution. The film breaks cinema’s cardinal rule of ‘show, not tell.’ After Arivu’s fina Anbu and Arivu’s idea of mass/cool is to wear sunglasses -- doesn’t matter if it's raining or they are at home. Everything feels stilted, especially the Canadian portions, which have Arivu lapsing into accented English once in a while to remind us that he is an NRI. Nobody else apart from him has an accent though. Pasupathy is a minister, but he seems to have no other job than to shadow the Muniyandi family. (Watching the nice-guy Vidhaarth playing a baddie was fun. He seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly.) The conversations, the emotions, feel contrived. It has a heroine, Kalai (Kashmira) who seems to remember she is a doctor only when she is in the hospital. At times of necessity though, like a road accident or a fight, she is content to be a crying bystander. Lesser can be said about the other female lead, Yaazhini (Kayal), who seems to be there only because Anbu needed a love interest. (HipHop Aadhi gets the credits for Anbarivu’s story.)
Anbarivu is being marketed as a ‘family entertainer’. And I have begun to wonder why Tamil cinema fashions these family entertainers as time warp portals. (Annaththe is another film that was marketed similarly.) Some of our biggest commercial stars are experimenting with genres and forms and to great success. There is a dire need to stop projecting the ‘song-fight-message-screechy melodrama’ template as ‘family-friendly.’ Our families have moved on. So should we.
Rating: 1.5/5
Anbarivu is streaming on Disney+Hotstar
Ashameera Aiyappan is a film journalist who writes about Indian cinema with a focus on South Indian films.
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