Films about cricket are a sub-genre that keeps coming up again and again in our industry, and filmmakers always tend to move into that space given the natural excitement that it creates. But after a really long, and probably the first time since Chennai 600028, a director who is really crazy about the game of cricket steps in to make his debut with a film set in the backdrop of the game, and does a fantastic job at that. Yes, we are talking about Tamizharasan Pachamuthu’s Lubber Pandhu.
Lubber Pandhu is a story about an ego clash. It is also a story about men and their problems when they love their women. It is also the story of how women struggle to come into terms when men have a dazzling passion for cricket. It is also a story of how caste bars play a major role in local cricket tournaments, where the place you come from matters more than how well you play. With so many meters in hand, debutant Tamizharasan manages to pull off an engaging and entertaining screenplay laden with consistency in its emotional beats, on field highs, slices of one-liners to chuckle you up and also delivering the message is a subtle yet strong manner. The film never gives up on its entertainment for the cost of its emotional source or its social commentary, as it continues to step up one after the other with terrific dialogues, the right visuals and a storytelling pattern that hardly has a few missteps.
While it introduces the pattern and slowly simmers up the tension in the first half, the second half is a ‘scene by scene spectacle’ that keeps the goods flowing in large numbers, so beautifully. The way Tamizharasan intertwines his dialogues with his motives is wonderful, and it is no doubt as in how Lubber Pandhu turns out to be one of the best debuts we have seen over the last few years.
Harish Kalyan comes in a totally new space, and it is his first film in the rural setup, and a great one at that. The actor is subtle for most parts, while also managing to showcase anger in a controlled and measured way, which works out well as opposed to Dinesh who is a loud smash in whatever he does, on and off the field. Lubber Pandhu is surely one of the best films in the latter’s career, he delivers a top tier performance and will be loved as ‘Gethu’.
The film also has wondrous performances from Swasika and Sanjana, the two women who both get ample of emotional moments where they score so well. The supporting cast has the impressive Devadarshini, TSK and Kaali Venkat but it is Bala Saravanan and Jenson who do an excellent job while staying on opposite sides in the film.
The music by Sean Roldan is important as it conveys the texture of the film so well, as both his songs and background score elevate and complement the proceedings. Dinesh Kumar’s work behind the lens is superb, especially in the cricket sequences. Editor Madan too, does a fabulous job with a special mention to the ‘Gethu 94’ scene in the climax.
Toting up, Lubber Pandhu is a special special film that ticks all the boxes and makes us enjoy the journey. One of the must watch films of 2024.