N.S Ponkumar’s period film, 16 August 1947 starring Gautham Karthik and Revathy, gets buried under a heap of erratic writing and melodramatic execution inspite of having a promising idea.
Cast: Gautham Karthik, Revathy, Pugazh, Richard Ashton, Jason Sha, Bose Venkat
Director: N.S Ponkumar
Writer: N.S Ponkumar
“To forget the pain, it’s not necessary to give them rest. It’s enough if we inflict more pain,” Robert, a barbaric British general tells his worker after lashing one of his injured slaves with a spiky whip. In another instance, he punishes a few villagers by putting them on a sawtooth column. Director N.S Ponkumar loads his directorial debut, 16 August 1947 with many such grotesque scenes so that we can sympathize with his suffering characters. However, the writing of the film is so banal that it barely ignites any spark.
What’s Yay: T. Santhanam’s art direction, Selvakumar S.K’s cinematography
What’s Nay: Sluggish narrative, feeble characters
Story
In a fictional isolated village named Sengadu, touted to be capital of slavery, in the Madras Presidency, terror has a face in the form of a bloodthirsty British general named Robert (Richard Ashton). He derives pleasure from violence and resorts to brutal measures to ensure that the people under his rule remain oppressed.
His son Justin (Jason Sha) is a lascivious man who preys on young girls as soon as they reach puberty. So, the villagers either dress them up as men or bury them alive so that Justin doesn’t lay a finger on them.
Amid this horror, we have Paraman (Gautham Karthik), an orphan with a past who is secretly in love with his childhood friend, Thenmalli (Revathy). When Justin’s eyes fall on Thenmalli, it sets off a series of violent events which causes Paraman and the villagers to revolt against the tyrannical father-son duo. On the other hand, Robert hides the news of India’s independence from the villagers to protect his iron-fisted dictatorship.
Direction
The idea of taking up the backdrop of India’s independence and dropping fictional characters and events in it sounds interesting on paper. However, debutante director N.S Ponkumar fumbles frequently in the execution department.
While the period drama spells grandiosity in terms of production design with A.R Murugadoss coming onboard as a producer, one wished that the story-telling had been rock-solid too. There are portions where the screenplay drags and fatigue sets in since things get repetitive. A few elements look forced just to induce some shock value rather than being organically woven in the narrative. Also, the excessive gore to depict Robert’s atrocities on the villagers might not go down well with the faint-hearted.
If you are watching the Hindi version of 16 August 1947, the poorly dubbed dialogues make you chuckle at a few places.
Performances
Gautham Karthik delivers a reasonable performance as Paraman, though his act wobbles a bit in the scenes where the spotlight is on his character. Newbie Revathy who marks her big screen debut with this A.R Murugadoss production exudes a certain vulnerability which fits like a glove to her portrayal of Thenmalli. The actress holds promise.
Pugazh as Thavidan and Bose Venkat as Pasupathi deliver what’s expected out of them. Instead of sending shivers down the spine, Richard Ashton’s act as the ruthless villain comes across as caricaturish and his dialogue delivery also induces some unintentional laughs.
Technical Aspects
Cinematographer Selvakumar S.K’s nifty frames breathe life into the inconsistent screenplay. T. Santhanam’s art design lends a certain authenticity when it comes to representing the bygone times. Sudharsan’s lazy editing makes 16 August 1947 a tiresome watch.
Music
Sean Roldan’s music flows well with the narrative. Speaking about the songs, ‘Kottunga Da’ and ‘Kottikara Payalae’ have an energetic flavor. The romantic song, ‘Seenikaari’ makes for a delightful listen.
Verdict
On learning about India finally attaining independence from the British Raj, a character in 16 August 1947, overwhelmed with emotions, falls down to the ground and talks about how every Indian had been waiting for this day! In a similar way, it isn’t easy for the film to escape from the clutches of lackluster writing and tepid execution.
