The highlight of 'Bottle Radha' is that it gives hope to people who are struggling with various problems. It emphasizes the need to have compassion, patience and perseverance to battle day-to-day woes.
A poster of the film 'Bottle Radha'. (X)
Debutant Dhinakaran Sivalingam’s Bottle Radha evoked curiosity ever since its title and first look were revealed. Films that deal with alcoholism are nothing new to Tamil audiences, but movie buffs had enough reasons to look forward to this outing.
The intriguing promo videos gave viewers a sneak peek into what is in store for them. A press interaction garnered the required attention for the movie, thanks to leading filmmaker Mysskin’s speech at the event.
One of the chief guests of the affair, his choice of words during his speech courted controversy as he heaped praises on the film’s team.
Radhamani (Guru Somasundaram) is a construction foreman, who boasts of several years of experience in the field. He has a beautiful family involving a wife and two kids, but little did he realize that his addiction towards alcohol is ripping his world apart.
He gets admitted to a de-addiction centre without his approval and manages to escape from there after a few weeks. However, he promises his family that he won’t touch alcohol. But fate had other things in store for him.
Will he be able to keep his word?
First things first: the filmmaker has managed to portray a boozer’s myriad struggles realistically and compassionately.
A still from the film ‘Bottle Radha’. (x)
Many audiences would be able to relate to the protagonist in different ways. The hardships of both the lead character and his family members are established poignantly, yet the narration doesn’t rely on the done-to-death boring mode.
There are adequate entertaining episodes in Bottle Radha involving a few character artists that bring the house down. Some of the scenes at the de-addiction centre leave you in splits.
The detailing and backstories attributed to some of the intriguing characters keep the audience glued to their seats. The narration smartly manages not to take the preachy route.
On the downside, this dramatic story of an alcoholic family man becomes predictable after a point. The engaging proceedings keep us invested in his painstaking journey, but the predictability creeps in now and then.
The introduction of a new character in the latter half of Bottle Radha to confuse the viewers doesn’t succeed. The film captures the mood of the suburb in a sensible manner, but the overall making could have been better.
‘Bottle Radha’ is a Pa Ranjith production. (x)
Guru Somasundaram carries the entire film on his shoulders with his impeccable performance. He portrays the titular role gracefully, displaying the varied emotions and vulnerabilities of an alcoholic like never before.
His convincing body language and expressions outweigh some of the film’s flaws. The sequence where he realizes he needs to quit alcohol once forever is a testament to his talent.
Sanchana Natarajan as the caring, but hopeless wife provides appropriate support to the narration with her powerful performance. The likes of John Vijay and Maaran entertain viewers with their respective depictions.
The highlight of Bottle Radha is that it gives hope to people who are struggling with various problems. It emphasizes the need to have compassion, patience and perseverance to battle day-to-day woes.
Bottle Radha is that feel-good motivational movie that you crave to overcome your insecurities. Despite the minor flaws, the silver lining is the lack of forceful or superficial elements that would have clung to a dramatic story like this.
The biggest success of the movie is that it manages to leave a smile on your face.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
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