Casting : Roopa Koduvayur, Narendra Prasath, Geetha Kailasam, Raju Rajappan, Subash Ramasamy, Haritha
Directed By : Peppin George Jayaseelan
Music By : Jecin George
Produced By : Naisat Media Works – Srinivasarao Jalakam
The heroine Roopa Koduvayur, who lives in a happy family of father, mother, brother, and sister-in-law, commits suicide one day after her father scolds her in anger and hangs herself. Thinking that if she finds out, they will make up a different story, the family tells the villagers that she died due to a pre-existing asthma problem. The villagers also believe her.
When the last rites are over and the body is ready to be taken to the crematorium, the body is too heavy to lift and suddenly movements are seen. This causes a commotion in the mourning house, and when they try to lift the body again, the body sits up. This causes a lot of excitement in that area. The villagers who come to the house of mourning do not go back to their homes but instead ask the funeral director to come and see what is going on. After looking at the sitting corpse, he says, “This woman is coming to tell you something.” Accordingly, what is the dead heroine Rupa coming to say?, is told in a very interesting way in ‘Ema Kaathaki’.
It is hard to believe that the corpse not only suddenly sits up but also appears to stand in the gap when repeated attempts are made to lift it, but it is said that such an incident really happened and that the director has filmed it.
The heroine Rupa Kodavaiyur, who is very simple like the girl next door, shakes the audience with her modest performance, even though she is a lifeless body. With her shy smile and the way she expresses her love for her lover, Rupa is sure to take the throne in the hearts of the audience, leaving Nayanthara and Trisha aside.
Narendra Prasad, who plays Rupa’s lover in the role of Anbu, is an instantly captivating face for the camera. His screen presence in the love scenes and his chemistry with the heroine have added immense strength to the screenplay.
Geetha Kailasam, who plays the heroine’s mother, Raju Rajappan, who plays the father, Subhash Ramasamy, who plays the brother, and Haritha, who plays the sister-in-law, are all suitable choices for the characters, and through their natural performances, they have traveled on screen not as actors but as villagers from the storyline.
Although the music by composer Jessin George seems to describe the plot, the words of the folk song that appears during the title card at the beginning of the film are not clearly understood. The love song is captivating. The background music has added great strength to the film.
Cinematographer Sujith Sarang uses low lighting to take us inside the ancient village house. Although the story revolves around a mourning house, the way the house is displayed and the changes in the corpse make us feel that there is something secret through his camera.
Editor Sreejith Sarang not only tells a simple story in an interesting and concise way, but also makes the audience connect with the film.
Although there are no scenes of violence, S. Rajendran’s dialogues, although superficially telling the cruelty of caste discrimination and the impact it has on the minds of the people, are sharp in a way that affects the audience.
Director Peppin George Jayaseelan, who has written and directed, has very well narrated a true incident that he witnessed. Having already made the characters talk about some similar incidents and taking the audience on a journey with those incidents, the fact that he has designed the scenes in a way that draws the audience’s attention to different things and ends the film with something unexpected is a great strength of the film. Although the love scenes in the film are few, the way they are presented is beautiful and fashionable. Especially the chemistry between the hero and the heroine and their on-screen presence have added strength to the story.
Although the film talks about caste discrimination, feminism, manslaughter and its background, it has talked about everything in moderation, and without creating the feeling that the film revolves around only one specific thing, director Peppin George Jayaseelan, who has dealt with an incident that takes place in the village with a very interesting screenplay and unexpected twists, has not only given a great work but also an interesting film that film fans can enjoy.