Originally Posted by NOV
Too long for comfort
By : K.N. Vijiyan
SEVAL (Tamil)
Directed by Hari
Starring Bharath, Poonam Bajwa, Simran, Vadivelu, Rajesh, Sambath Raj, Krishna, Y.G. Mahendran
LAST Deepavali, director Hari gave Vel, with Surya in double roles. Due to Surya’s popularity, it became a hit.
This Deepavali, Hari’s contribution is Seval with young up-and-coming actor Bharath as the hero and a newcomer, Poonam Bajwa, as his heroine.
Hari gets nowhere in the first half of the film and it gets tiresome as he tries to establish the hero Murugesa (Bharath) as a good-for-nothing scoundrel who is only a nuisance to his father (Rajesh), who has to struggle to make a living growing and selling flowers.
The second half is more meaningful and interesting with Murugesa mending his ways to impress the girl he fancies, Parijatham (Poonam), a Brahmin.
The village landlord (played by Sampath of Saroja fame) and Parijatham’s evil relative (Krishna) lust after her.
Murugesa has to protect Parijatham from these two men but fate has other plans for him and his lady love.
Hari tells his story in flashbacks, starting with the hero coming out of jail after serving 17 years. There is even a flashback in one of the flashbacks.
Vadivelu’s comic antics (which basically amount to getting bashed to draw the laughs) and the songs are there only to extend the movie to the mandatory 2½ hours. All the scenes are set in a village.
Simran, who quit movies to marry at the height of her popularity, is back in a role as the heroine’s sister. The scenes where she suspects Murugesa is in love with her are hilarious.
Except for the song Thulasi Chediya, G.V. Prakash’s other songs have not become popular yet.
Seval would have been better if it had been much shorter. In its present format, it tests our patience.
