Appa (2016) User Reviews

A worthy watch

[karthiksudhakaran-1987 · 8/10 · 1 August 2016]

The plot revolves around the story of father and son relationship and how we have to raise and supporting them fully . Samuthirakani has done a fabulous job in all perspective like actor and as well as director he had made everyone to act perfect. He had told about the school system now a days trying to get first rank is not a important than how he have to develop their skills and told everyone studies is just a part of life and how we have to raise our child a good person is more important. Positive:a) samuthirakani story telling

b) casting and their performances

c) climax Negative a) Music there is no scope in the movie only one song as it was also normal and background music is not satisfied. It doesn't felt like ilayaraja music.

A gutsy uncompromising effort !!!

[Yuvi77 · 8/10 · 3 July 2016]

Tamil cinema theatre goers have a tendency to turn a deaf ear when a film happens to be a little sententious. Under the circumstances, one should say it's a gutsy effort by Samuthirakani to have invested so much of time and money to make a message oriented film like Appa in spite of having a forehand knowledge of Tamil cinema audience's taste and preferences.

The first question that comes to commoners mind when you talk about a message oriented film is how preachy is the film? The word 'Preachy' is often thrown about for criticizing a film that has a message. Samuthirakani pinpoints a valid social awareness issue to the audience, like showcasing how today's parents impose their personal interest on their child and also telling how few private schools torment children like machines. If portraying messages like these are considered preachy, then Appa would definitely top the list.

Appa is more or less on the same lines as Sattai but this one has been made without any commercial compromises. Dhayalan and Singamperumal are the two lead characters that you find in Sattai enacted by Samuthirakani and Thambi Ramaiah. And the battle between them in Sattai was a highlight. Now Samuthirakani has brought back life to both these characters in Appa, but the difference here is they battle as parents and not as teachers. Through these two characters, Samuthirakani establishes how a father should and should not be.

Samuthirakani plays the lovable encouraging father while Thambi Ramaiah is seen as a strict parent who wants his kid to be perfect in every aspect. Appa is a film that talks about the childhood days of 5 children from different families. Apart from the social message content, Appa also talks about a tiny teenage love portion which however is not given any prominence. It could have either been avoided or established properly. All the kids have done a pretty good job. Samuthirakani's wife character is not so much in sync with the film. Her role is illustrated as an arrogant over-desirous woman, but neither her pre or post transformation phase are portrayed clearly.

While the first half talks about how to groom a kid, the second gets a little wavery as it diverts from parenthood issues to topics concerning about mistakes those private schools do. Appa definitely has some memorable moments that Samuthirakani could be proud of, but at the same time, a film that talks only about the flaws in our social system, makes it sanctimonious and hard to sit through. Even though Appa is just a 2 hour film, it feels like a much longer film.

The film does not carry any unwanted songs. It only has one song which too comes in as a montage. Ilayaraaja's music is very functional and sounds pretty similar to his recent works. Richard Nathan's camera angles are appealing.

Appa has moments of greatness but because of its opinionated presentation, at no level, it gives you a good degree of satisfaction nor makes you accept the flaws that have been pinpointed.

Verdict: A gutsy uncompromising effort from Samuthirakani which however would test your patience to sit through!

Striking a vital chord!

[fahimay · 8/10 · 23 August 2016]

Striking a vital chord!

Purely focusing on raising children, this movie scores as a genuine portrayal of India's education system. Sharing wavelength with movies like Taare Zameen Par, Pasanga, Pasanga 2 and Saattai, what makes 'Appa' unique? You need to actually watch it to perceive its significant message. Three types of child rearing are distinguished here, a father who wants to raise an academic achiever, a father who tells his child to act in accordance with the society , and a father who lets his child explore his talents and aptitude.

Samuthirakani forms the backbone of the movie, effortlessly supporting the other artists to define their characterization. The movie starts off with Samuthirakani highlighting the positive aspects of human nature and while his strong belief in the goodness of humans sound far-fetched, it intends to keep alive the spirit of life. His act of leaving a child alone in a bus is not exactly an agreed technique of teaching self-reliance to a child. Nevertheless, his methodology of raising a child , without being engulfed in a daily routine of textbooks study , feels powerful and emphatic.

Many important issues of parenting has been addressed. Adolescent behavioural changes, opposite gender attraction, choice of a career, exploration of inherent talents are some of the areas which have been given a gratifying treatment. A parent acknowledging the follies of children without severe rebuke is the biggest morale- booster for children. To be with a child through every step of life is the best gift given by a parent.

Alongwith the prominent child artists,all the members of the supporting cast have done a commendable job. Examples pf certain novel features of the plot are the reconciliation between Dayalan (Samuthirakani) and his wife and the career choice of a comperer by a fatherless poverty-stricken teenage girl.The absence of a clichéd reaction of retaliation by the wife (Vinothini) at her obnoxious husband,Singamperumal (Thambi Ramayyah), in the climax of the movie is adds weight to the quality of the movie.

The girls playing the characters 'Neela Nandhini' and 'Sajida Banu' look charming and the role of 'Mayilvaganam' is entertaining as well as insightful. Though we can predict to an extent the outcome of the climax, with the ominous bgm and the panicky expressions, it leaves a hole in the heart.

The movie revolves around the theme that we should not let our children's lives be dictated by societal norms. Kudos to the 'Nadodigal Productions' team for highlighting the pitfalls of such a contemporary issue.

Excellent movie

[mothilalthoppey · 10/10 · 23 August 2016]

Excellent movie ! Fantastic screenplay/direction. Excellent direction and acting by Mr.Samuthirakani. Lovely Movie - a must watch with family. Very clear screenplay ,hats off to the director. Expecting more such good films. I never watch a movie more than once, but i should

say this movie is a exception. I watched this more than many times

and never felt bored anytime. Enjoyed each and every scene in the movie. Movie is very interesting

and the content is crisp and clear. All the supporting actors/children performed very well. Highly recommend to watch this movie and the movie deserves 10 rating. Expecting more such films .

Excellent movie must watch

[vamsi-04646 · 10/10 · 5 August 2016]

I don't know to write reviews,but this film made me to. It is an outstanding movie explaining about how a parent should grow a child.It revolves around a plot, in a village,where 3 boys and 2 girls are friends and live together. A boy's father raises his son by giving him freedom to do whatever and teaches him how to be independent in life while the other boy's father keeps on scolding him and doesn't allow him to live happily. This film deals with the consequences of bringing up a child by actually not letting him to live. Samuthikarani (director) has given us a film which tells us how the current society is and how we spoil our child's life by taking care of our self respect instead of worrying about the poor child's life.It's surely a must watch one.

Best of best

[ravee-59551 · 10/10 · 7 March 2021]

One of the best film.please go and watch with family sure they will enjoy.

Exaggerated construction ruined the value

[ashkg2001 · 6/10 · 7 August 2016]

This movie has a very important message to convey. But Samuthirakani chose to go little bit exaggerated at times on the concepts and some of characters. This has spoiled the overall feeling.

Samuthirakani himself is rocking as always with his acting. And some of the kids are also doing very good performance. Expect a surprise star in guest appearance. But he is given some star dialogues zooming camera on to his face. This could have been avoided.

Overall worthy watch, but expect the extreme attitudes being compared. Example is about going by book on daily routine for a pregnant lady with planned delivery date on a good day etc. Vs insisting that delivery should be at home and never should go to doctor. In my opinion, both the extremes should be avoided in real life.