This is one of the few movies that will stay with you long after you have left the cinemas. Character development at it's best and each scene is very relevant to the story. The actors have done a phenomenal job especially the lead female character. The story itself is fresh and never been heard of in the past. Very natural and simple shots makes this movie stand out from rest of the mass entertainment movies. Kudos to Chezhiyan, I'm sure he is going to become extremely successful as a director.
14 Reviews
Simple yet powerful
syamalsanmath26 June 2019
'To Let' portrays the day-to-day troubles of a small family of three in finding a rental house in Chennai City. The movie has an excellent plot that begins and ends with the house hunting of this family. Chezhiyan has delivered a masterpiece by sticking to a simple but powerful message through this film.
The shots and angles are to the point and do not deviate from the storyline. Casting is excellent and the individual actors have masterfully played their roles. The screenplay is probably the highlight of the movie as it takes you through an emotional rollercoaster throughout the duration of the film.
A must watch!
Now for my reflection of the plot and timing of the movie:
Indian society has many socio-economic layers that coexist with real but unspoken boundaries. The script here deals with one such boundary of Rs. 10000/month rent. Indian film industry needs to represent stories from all strata. Most mainstream films paint a utopian picture only existing in a small fraction of the society.
This movie is reminiscent of good flicks such as Gharonda. We need more of these gems to depict societal anomalies. Movie has deservedly won many awards and I am sure many more are coming...!
Middle Class yet to Settle Middle Aged Guy's Story!
harishmadireddi11 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It started out well, screenplay was helped to get into the mood of movie, the actors have given their best, the bonding and detailing of the family has been very good but towards the end i.e the last 30 minutes it feels that nothing much is going to happen with respect to story and by that time we as an audience have a pretty good idea of the family bonding but still narrator chooses to include the scenes which elevates their bonding and there is lag in few scenes at the end, the editing could have been crisp at the end. But got to appreciate the director and writter for depecting the common man story so genuenely.
Its my film
godvelan10 April 2019
In my childhood days our family was in rented house. On those times my mom used to say to my dad that we need our own house even though its very small. Since i was small i could understand the reason behind her words but the real feelings i felt when i watched this movie. I seen it till end of the title.
My heart is filled with emotions after seeing this movie.
Thanks to all the cast and crews in the movie. You have given a wonderful wonderful movie.
A Sublime Masterpiece
noizfactory6 October 2019
This is one of the most underrated masterpieces that our country has produced in the recent times. This deserved to be India's entry to the Oscars but even without that validation, this film will stand the test of time and I'll count it as one the greatest films of our country. It reminded me of masters like Ray, Ozu, and Majidi and the director's love and respect for their kind of cinema comes through in his naturalistic portrayal of a family and a class of our society whose dreams and ambitions are getting lost and left behind in today's world of rapid development and growth.
Even though the film may appear simple (and its apparent simplicity is one of its most endearing qualities), the camera says a lot with the subtle shots without any use of melodramatic background scores or dialogues or acting. The family feels extremely believable and lived in and that speaks to the cast and the filmmakers' talents. I have watched this film twice now and there's details to catch and observe and appreciate with every viewing - not in the sense that it's a puzzle to solve but for the realism portrayed by the director and the minute details of every day life that's spread throughout the film. The film is currently available on Amazon Prime India for streaming and I hope it remains available for many more multiple viewings. The director/writer/dop and the cast are people to watch out for and I'll closely follow whatever they do next. A truly commendable piece of work that should be seen by everybody.
Even though the film may appear simple (and its apparent simplicity is one of its most endearing qualities), the camera says a lot with the subtle shots without any use of melodramatic background scores or dialogues or acting. The family feels extremely believable and lived in and that speaks to the cast and the filmmakers' talents. I have watched this film twice now and there's details to catch and observe and appreciate with every viewing - not in the sense that it's a puzzle to solve but for the realism portrayed by the director and the minute details of every day life that's spread throughout the film. The film is currently available on Amazon Prime India for streaming and I hope it remains available for many more multiple viewings. The director/writer/dop and the cast are people to watch out for and I'll closely follow whatever they do next. A truly commendable piece of work that should be seen by everybody.
A part of life
sanjit_pandit200227 June 2020
Screenplay
mavulurivitheesh4 January 2020
Great show
bibekiter24 July 2020
The best!
cute_chiku28 July 2020
A good movie with a Bad probaganda!!
balajiame20 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The plot is simple, the hero gives false information about his job and current tenancy to rent a home. Gets screwed when the new owner finds that he is a fraud and does not rent him a home. Hero blames IT employees for not able to rent a home to stay.
He insists that all people who work in Cinema industry don't get a house for rent and they all got a house by providing spurious information.
You know the positives of the movie, I am not going to talk about it...
PS: the rating is for the plot only.
He insists that all people who work in Cinema industry don't get a house for rent and they all got a house by providing spurious information.
You know the positives of the movie, I am not going to talk about it...
PS: the rating is for the plot only.
Classic movie that makes you reflect on life's challenges
ngandacinema11 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
To Let was a nice classic movie, not the emotional kind but one that makes you reflect on life's challenges
Delicious -Loved the originality and simplicity of the script. Regular people going through rent problems. We saw a bit of ourselves in Illango (Santosh Sreeram) and Amudha (Sheela Rajkumar). They went everywhere and anywhere, using one strategy or another just to have a shelter!
We had a series of questions running through our minds: What would we do in their circumstance? How far are we willing to accept suffering, maltreatment, and injustice? Are there any other alternatives?
-Siddharth (Dharun Bala), playing the couple's son, was soooo handsome 😀 He was like a balm in the midst of the pain; a beautiful smile and a funny boy. All the actors rendered a convincing performance -Chezhiyan flawlessly took us from Point A to Point B, providing us with a smooth and logical narrative -Locations were adequately chosen, especially the couple's house, a great depiction of actual conditions
Bland -Not sure if To Let had a climax as the story was pretty linear. You knew where it was going and how likely it would end. Maybe Chezhiyan did that on purpose to show the dullness and sorrowful state of the family?
-Let's briefly address the slap on Amudha's face...that was quite shocking and easily brushed off in the scenario as if a simple 'sorry' was acceptable for such a deplorable behavior 🙁
Delicious -Loved the originality and simplicity of the script. Regular people going through rent problems. We saw a bit of ourselves in Illango (Santosh Sreeram) and Amudha (Sheela Rajkumar). They went everywhere and anywhere, using one strategy or another just to have a shelter!
We had a series of questions running through our minds: What would we do in their circumstance? How far are we willing to accept suffering, maltreatment, and injustice? Are there any other alternatives?
-Siddharth (Dharun Bala), playing the couple's son, was soooo handsome 😀 He was like a balm in the midst of the pain; a beautiful smile and a funny boy. All the actors rendered a convincing performance -Chezhiyan flawlessly took us from Point A to Point B, providing us with a smooth and logical narrative -Locations were adequately chosen, especially the couple's house, a great depiction of actual conditions
Bland -Not sure if To Let had a climax as the story was pretty linear. You knew where it was going and how likely it would end. Maybe Chezhiyan did that on purpose to show the dullness and sorrowful state of the family?
-Let's briefly address the slap on Amudha's face...that was quite shocking and easily brushed off in the scenario as if a simple 'sorry' was acceptable for such a deplorable behavior 🙁
Reality of life of Tolet people
ratnamfilm26 May 2021
The movie has the potential to talk for a decades, Must watch film deserve to be received all this acclaimed. Performance of Sheela rajkumar and Santosh Sreeram is like to watch again and again.kutty Dharun Bala also did his job clean. First applause to Director. Chezhiyan Sir..
Let it to be finished
sregnanamani29 October 2021
To Let
santhosh-102904 July 2019
Good Movie. Everybody acted very well in the movie. The movie was not so good as the movie bored a lot. The movie was focusing only about house problem throughout the movie that made the movie bore. The movie could be more interesting. The movie had no Songs and BGM. The movie was good becaquse of good performances of every actors. Good Movie.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
