I am an avid film lover and watch almost every film that hits the OTT platforms. Last night I watched “Pitta Kathalu” on Netflix. The experiment itself is interesting. Instead of watching a 3 hour film at a stretch, getting engaged with a short story is interesting, that too in the standards of a straight feature film.
Out of the four stories, what hooked me the most is Nandini Reddy’s “Meera”. I didn’t expect sensuous, sensitive and sensible elements stuffed in a 35 minute theme. I loved the boldness of Nandini Reddy for showcasing the emotions and suspicions of an aged husband who has a young wife. Though the story is set in an affluent urban locality, the emotions are similar even in the rural side. It has got the best connectivity with large set of audience.
Though it appears to be bold, when looked from the lens of an independent audience, I feel the cusswords and bedroom scenes would have been cut down to make it appealing for the family audience as well.
When there are actors like Jagapathi Babu and Amala Paul, it is a natural tendency to watch the film on the smart TV instead of PC. So the decision to watch this on Smart TV in drawing room may become an embarrassing situation for the family audience.
Besides, I personally feel that Jagapathi Babu would have shown as a husband to Amala Paul with a 10 years age gap but not 18. By doing so, we would have got a chance to see the vintage Jagapathi Babu with black hairdo. As an admirer of Jagapathi Babu I feel I missed the opportunity to see him so.
To sum up, Nandini Reddy deserves three cheers. One for selecting a sensitive subject, other for showcasing it sensibly and another for filling it with a sensuous feel.
Usha Chowdhary
