TAMIL NOIR

Zee5’s new Tamil streamer Kallachirippu is groundbreaking in virtually every way, beginning with its straight-to-the-point title, which translates to ‘Fake Smile’.

The story opens with a dimly lit scene in which a wife accidentally kills her husband in an act of self-defence. The quick, dirty, blink-and-miss scene marks the start of many such sequences.

Produced by Karthik Subbaraj of Pizza fame and written-directed by

Roju, the series has eight short tightly scripted episodes with names like ‘The Dead Jester’ and ‘Dimple Kapadia’. The format is non-linear and the story revolves around two families involved in an arranged marriage. The central character, Mahati (Amrutha Srinivasan), is unlike any other seen in Tamil entertainment. For once, the heroine isn’t a selfsacrificing fantasy. She puts herself and her life first and thinks and behaves like an actual woman.

As the story progresses, the series peels back the layers of its characters to reveal hypocrisy, deceit, lust and vengeance in a matter-of-fact, unapologetic tone that sets it apart from most Tamil thrillers. There are shades of grey everywhere, and smart camera work and precise editing ensure that the twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat. (That said, the over-thetop background score could be done away with entirely.)

In another first (or almost-first) for Tamil filmmaking, Kallachirippu features two gay characters without treating them as clowns for comic relief. But the early promise of that decision is soon squandered as they’re reduced to perfunctory stereotypes that clash with the other more nuanced characters. Dark and unpredictable, the series is completely devoid of the moralistic preachy outburst you expect. And Srinivasan, Roju himself and rest of the cast deliver strong performances—though Srinivasan’s panicked expressions can be reminiscent of kabuki now and then.n

—Prachi Sibal