331. Seedan

For about four months now, I've had this Tamil film in my sights.

Thankfully, there is now a version on DVD with English subtitles which I have imported from the sub-continent.

And it is one of those movies which, I suspect, can only be fully enjoyed if its audience is immersed in the local culture.

By that, I mean I immediately have to profess my ignorance about the role the deity Lord Murugan plays in the life of Tamil Hindi people.

Why is that important? Because the religious devotion of the main character provides the resolution to its love story.

The plot is relatively straightforward. Maha (Ananya), who has a tragic past, is the servant  to a matriarch who treats her as if she is one of her own family.

In saying that, she is also something of a Cinderella figure, doing jobs and making food for everyone.

She literally dreams of meeting a tall dark stranger who will marry here and , lo and behold, the very man in her dreams turns out to be her boss's grandson, Mano (Krishna).

Inevitably, it being India, the two fall in love but the match is seen as entirely unsuitable and the rest of movie surrounds how they try to overcome the boundaries to their union.

As said, the religious aspect is key.

Ananya is sweetness itself in the female lead while Dhanush, one of the Tamil cinema's biggest stars, plays a key role in bringing the plot to a satisfactory conclusion.

Otherwise, it is a typical Indian love story which has a grand backdrop but little in the way of innovative plotline.

I learned much about Tamil Hindi beliefs but I wasn't blown away by a movie which gets 5.5/10 in my book.